The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss
by Superdale33
Summary: Sequel to The Electric Dragon. Cole thought that his time was up when he activated the RFI to end all conduits. However, fate has other plans as he is teleported to the Dragon Realms. From there, Cole meets Spyro and Cynder yet again and he must adjust to his new way of life. ColexOC.
1. Chapter 1: Unexpected

**Yes! I was able to get time to write my sequel! And it turned out better than I thought. If you haven't read the story before this, The Electric Dragon, you might want to stop here, as it makes a lot of references to it. I hope you enjoy this!**

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**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 1: Unexpected**

Warfang, the Dragon City, was where Spyro and Cynder could finally rest. After the events in New Marais, they flew back home to their friends who were waiting with open arms. They were revered as saviors and heroes. Still, they were a tad sad to leave Cole; They always hope to see him again, but the odds were stacked against it.

Spyro, right now, was sleeping blissfully; Dreaming of the fun times with Cole, Zeke, and the others. This was not uncommon; He had many similar dreams. Some were of him and Cole fighting the Militia, others are with the others laughing together. Overall, he could not take his mind off of them, even in his sleep.

A loud boom echoed in his room in the tower, waking him up with a start. He looked around frantically to get his bearings, and was relieved and saddened to see he was still home. He let a long sigh out, and stood up. He knew he wouldn't get to back to sleep, so instead he walked over to the balcony that connected to his room.

Once outside, he looked above to see thick, dark storm clouds. They were housing lightning as it arced through out the cover, once in a while striking far off in the distance. Spyro concluded that the lightning was what woke him, but it did not help him in the least to get back to dream land. In fact, it only made it worse; It reminded him of his last minutes with Cole, and the conduit himself.

"Spyro?" a voice asked softly behind him.

The purple dragon slowly turned his head to his roommate and lover, Cynder, and smiled. He was glad that they were together, and knew that they could be with each other forever, but the thought of Cole and his friends still haunted his mind. His smile lowered to a frown, and he turned back to the sky.

"You still miss him too, huh?" Cynder said, as she joined him on the balcony. Spyro could only nod, his voice lost in his throat.

The black dragoness looked to the darkened sky as well, thinking of Cole's kindness and determination to save her. She, also, gave a sad smile in his memory.

"You know," Spyro spoke at last, his voice heavy, and gaining the attention of Cynder. "Kuo compared me to him, she said that we were the same in morals. She thinks me and Cole are one and the same."

Tears began falling from his eyes, he didn't want to cry because he knew Cole wouldn't allow it, but he couldn't help it.

"He helped me so much," Spyro continued, "He helped a stranger, a _dragon_, to save you and get us home. Now, we may never return the favor." The tears began falling heavier as rain also began. "Not just Cole; Zeke, Kuo, Nix. They all helped us, even risking their lives for complete strangers. They didn't even question if what we said was even true, only relying on how we acted."

The rain fell faster, and Spyro closed his eyes as he faced the floor, sobbing. "I miss him so much, even if we were only with him for a day. It shouldn't make sense, heck, I don't even know why."

"I think I do," Cynder whispered. Spyro looked up at her with mild shock, hoping she had the answers.

"It doesn't matter how long we were with him, but only the memories of our times together are important." Cynder started to cry as well, but restrained it a bit better then the purple dragon beside her.

Spyro smiled, and closed his eyes again in thought. He knew she was right, and he really was glad for the memories. He faced the raining storm above once again, feeling better.

"I think I like storms more now then before," he uttered quietly.

Cynder gave a dry chuckle as she, too, looked above her. "Yeah, all thanks to Cole MacGrath."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole stared at the monster before him with hate and despair. The Beast, the thing that destroyed Empire City, was crouched before him at the church in lost of strength. Holding the RFI tightly, he knew this was it. Once he activated the object in his hands, he, Kuo, and every conduit on the planet would die. He wished it didn't come to this; Kuo had resolved her inevitable death with sorrow, apologizing to Cole, and admitting that Cole and Nix were right to fight the Beast.

Nix, the thought of her forced Cole's jaw to tighten. She had sacrificed her life to buy him time to prepare the RFI, probably for the best as she would of died anyway. As Cole began to charge the RFI with his electric powers, his whole life flashed before his eyes; He didn't mind so much, until he arrived to the memories of Spyro and Cynder. The times they had together were fun, giving him a good chuckle, despite the situation.

However, the thought of them made him remember his promise; How he would see them again. At that, Cole's entire world collapsed before him. He had broken that promise, he would never see them again. He would die, and they would have no idea. At that thought, he a tear went down his face.

'I'm sorry, Spyro,' he thought sadly, 'It looks like I won't meet with you again.'

And with that thought running through his mind, he released his powers into the RFI. He felt his body tearing up from the inside, destroying the conduit gene inside himself. As quick as it came, it disappeared, the pain simply stopped.

Confused, Cole looked around. The Beast was still howling in pain, as was Kuo, who was laying behind him. Why wasn't the RFI killing him? Glaring at the object in question, he noticed a strange beam shoot straight up. A bang above him shook his thoughts out as he looked to the sky above. Something he thought he would never see again was sitting there: a portal.

Before he could comprehend what was going on, he felt himself being dragged in fairly quickly. Soon, Cole flew right through the vortex, and he and portal disappeared with the RFI hitting the ground with a clank.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole could feel grass below him, and the heat from the sun as it radiated down on his face. Groaning he sat up, rubbing his head, not daring to open his eyes.

'I must be in heaven,' he concluded, 'I have to be.'

He opened his eyes carefully, preparing for what he could see. What he did see, shocked him beyond any recognition. He was in a large field with rolling hills going in all directions. In the distance, he could see mountains and even a forest when he began gazing at the landscape. He recognized this place; he was brought here, twice: the dream realm.

"Ah, great," he grumbled to himself, "That means I have to talk to that high and mighty Malefor again, don't I?"

He stood up, and decided to wait and get it over with. After a few minutes, however, the Dark Master did not appear. His mind began to wonder if this wasn't a dream at all.

"Malefor did say that this was the Dragon Realms," he mumbled to himself.

Cole shook his head in bewilderment, and decided to have a walk around. So, turning around, he did just that, and saw an unfamiliar sight. In the distance, right next to the mountain range, was a large city. Even from this length, the conduit could see that it was beautiful, with tall towers and gorgeous architecture.

'Guess I know where I'm heading,' Cole thought, as he began walking toward the great city.

He walked what felt like hours, and it probably was, as the sun moved across the sky. Stopping to take a short break, he could tell that he was at least half way there. At that moment, Cole could feel vibrations coming from the ground. Furrowing his brow, he looked in different directions to see who was approaching. When he turned to the forest, he saw ape-like creatures emerge from it, all looked like they were prepared for war.

The conduit couldn't count them all, but some how knew that there were a lot of them. Hundreds, maybe even a thousand, apes all heading toward the same destination the conduit was going to. It just so happens, unfortunately, that Cole stood between the army and the city itself.

The electric man gave an exasperated sigh. "I guess confrontation was bound to happen," he told himself.

Cole stood his ground with crossed arms, waiting impatiently for the huge platoon to come to his position. They stopped marching within 20 meters from Cole, not moving a muscle. In time, a huge ape, twice as tall from the rest, walked out, straight towards the conduit. Said conduit could only narrow his eyes at him, knowing that if he took him out, the rest would fallow, assuming he was the leader.

The leader walked until he stood right in front of Cole, and the electric man was forced to look at an angle to see his face.

"Who are you, puny creature?" the ape growled angrily, "Were you sent from Warfang?"

Cole laughed, "Warfang? Naw, I was just wondering around and I saw you guys, and thought I should say hello."

There was a short pause, then Cole leaned forward, and said, "hello."

The monster bared his teeth, and growled, "You dare mock me, leader of the Dark Master's Army?"

Cole was visibly surprised; Malefor?! He was real? He wanted to know more, but the ape's face said otherwise.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, you know?" Cole advised, "The consequences could be... shocking."

"Enough of this!" the ape leader roared, as he raised his fist to smash into the conduit. Before he could, Cole used a electric blast that sent the leader tumbling along the ground toward the army. The members began to murmur with each other, obviously surprised to see their leader easily knocked down.

Once he had stopped, the ape leader stood up hastily, to save some of his pride. Then, with a loud roar, he yelled, "Attack! Take him down!"

Without hesitation, the platoon charged, giving long shouts of enthusiasm to take down the opposer. The leader gave a smug grin, believing to have the upper hand.

Cole gave a grin himself, but it was one of devilish proportions, "Big mistake."

After that, he concentrated all of his ice powers into the palms of his hand, and then released it, shooting an Ionic Freeze. The result was obvious and instant; turning the army into frozen warriors. Looking around to see if he missed any, the conduit was mildly startled to find out that he hadn't missed one. However, one did emerge from the frozen statues: the leader himself.

With a snarl, the ape leader screamed, "I'll be back, you worm. Then you'll be sorry."

Cole couldn't help but laugh; Malefor had basically said the same thing in his dreams, and this was no different.

Calming himself down, he shouted to the furious ape, "Right, you just run back to your 'Dark Master', I'm sure he'll love you for it!"

The leader snarled again, and ran back into the forest, leaving his frozen, dead army. Still giggling a little, Cole turned around and continued his journey to 'Warfang', as the ape said it was. His mood was definitely better now.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Many minutes later, Cole was within 100 meters from the walls that surrounded Warfang, and needless to say, the conduit was awe stricken. The walls towered above him, he didn't think the city was _this_ big. Shaking off his dazed expression, he took one step to enter the city, and then he heard bells ringing and shouts from within.

'Is it sunday or something?' he thought in puzzlement.

From the walls above, dragons flew over them, and began landing all around Cole, stunning him immensely.

'Dragons? Here!?,' he thought, 'Then that means Spyro and Cynder...'

His heart leapt with joy at the thought of reuniting with the two, but it was squandered by the expressions the dragons around gave him. They all looked like they wanted a fight; Like an invasion was coming.

Cole giggled slightly, which caught the attention of the dragons. "What's so funny?" a red male dragon demanded.

The conduit cleared his throat in mild embarrassment; He wanted to make a good first impression.

"Uh, nothing, I was just-"

"It can talk?!" a yellow female dragon interrupted.

"As I was saying," the electric man continued, "I was just thinking of the invasion that you probably had to fight off and-

"So you're the invasion force, is it?" a deep voice observed from above. Looking up three large dragons flew down and landed beside the other dragons. Studying them, the large dragons were the size of Malefor in his dreams, maybe smaller, with the colors of green, blue, and yellow. The others, he just noticed, were about the size of Spyro and Cynder, give or take.

Shaking his head to answer, Cole replied, "No, I just fought off the invasion force. If you would let me finish-"

"You?" the red dragon laughed, "fighting off a platoon of apes?"

Rubbing his eyes irritably, Cole responded, "Yes, I did, they were heading here and-"

"That's impossible, stranger," the large blue one said with distaste. "Besides, you're probably lying to cover up the incoming enemies."

"Wait, wait, wait," The conduit stressed, waving his hands in front of him for emphasis. "I'm not with those stupid apes, in fact, they probably hate my guts right now."

The yellow one tilted his head, "You may look slightly different, but the appearances are too similar to be a coincidence."

Cole was growing frustrated at this point; They would not listen to him, or reason for that matter. "Look, if you just tell Spyro and Cynder, I'm sure-"

The large green dragon bared his teeth in anger, "Do not involve those heroes, villain! They are away as of now, so you can not get a hold of them."

'Oh boy,' Cole thought as he crossed his arms, 'How do I convince these guys now?'

"Enough talk!" the small red one ordered, "He is only stalling!"

"Calm yourself, Magma." the green one demanded. "But you are right, take him in."

The dragons surrounding Cole began to move in. "I don't have time for this," he whispered in annoyance. Using his Ice Launch, the conduit summoned a pillar of ice to seemlessly come from the ground, shooting him into the air. The dragons were shocked, especially the large blue one.

"He can use Ice?!" he exclaimed worriedly.

Cole landed on the wall, surprising a few strange mole people who stood upon it.

"What the hell?" he said, bewildered.

Looked back, though, he quickly dodge rolled forward, just in time to avoid a ground pound from a dragon. He began running along the wall, rolling occasionally to evade the attacks by the dragons. He looked back, and saw to his horror that all 20 of them were chasing him, using their wings.

Without looking where he was going, he slammed into a wall, but when he examined it, it appeared to have just risen from the stone underneath his feet, then an architectural mistake.

Looking back again with gritted teeth, he saw a few closing in. Without a second thought, the electric man jumped to the side, toward the fields that he walked along before.

"Ha!" said a voice behind him, probably the large yellow one, "No ape can survive a jump like that!"

The conduit could only smile with content when he landed easily without a scratch. Turning around, he saw just in time to see all of the dragons with their jaws dropped. Cole wasn't paying attention, however, when a dragon head butted him from behind. He landed a few meters away, holding his stomach with his arm as he hissed in pain.

Seeing the dragon charge again, Cole allowed electricity to flow through his arm, preparing to strike with a bolt. However, he realized that he didn't want to hurt them, and stopped the flow, and simply used his Lightning Tether to escape. He attached this to the wall, and clung to a brick that was sticking out, examining his surroundings.

The large green one, who hasn't moved from his place on the ground, stared with wide eyes. "He also has the power of electricity!"

"Let's try fire then," a dragon spoke from above Cole. Gazing upward, he saw it was the small red one, named Magma if he remembered correctly. The dragon shot a fire ball straight at Cole, catching him off guard and sending him flying from the explotion.

He landed on his back, feeling exhausted from not only from his time in the Dragon Realms, but also from New Marais; He hasn't taken a break for a while.

He made to stand up, but was roughly pushed back down, from the large green dragon with his paw. The conduit was trapped, and he knew it, but that didn't stop him from trying to escape.

"What do we do with you, monster?" he questioned.

Cole stopped his struggling, to glare at the dragon that held him. "Hey, you can take me down, but don't call me monster. I already get enough of that crap back home."

"I say we put him out of his misery," Magma suggested from the group of dragons that yet again surrounded Cole.

The large blue one brought a claw to his chin in thought. "He is dangerous and unknown to any of us..."

"We can't just kill him," piped up the small yellow dragon from before. Cole was slightly puzzled as to why she would save him from an uncertain death, but didn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

"He may be the enemy, but he made no attempt to attack any of us," she defended.

"Lemon is correct," the large yellow dragon added, "I'm sure an ape would have done so a lot sooner."

Lemon? Was that her name? Cole noted mentally to ask her why she was named that.

"But what if what Magma said earlier was true," snapped the large blue dragon. "He could still be stalling for the invaders."

"That's one thing I don't get," Cole expressed, startling the dragons, they forgot that he was still here. "How did you guys know about the 'invaders'?"

The green dragon scoffed, "We don't tell our enemies about our tactics."

As he said this, he pressed down on Cole's stomach harder. The conduit groaned in pain, and could feel consciousness fleeing him, but he still had one more question to ask.

"I'm guessing names are secret too, huh?" he manged to squeeze out.

Cole heard a chuckle as his vision began to blur, and a shout, "Volteer!"

"I'm sorry!" another voice replied, "It was funny!"

He heard more chuckles, and then nothing. Darkness flooded his vision, replacing the blurriness from earlier as he passed out.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

When Cole came to, he felt a headache coming on. Rubbing his head with a groan, he sat up, and remembered the previous events. He looked at what he was laying on, and realized it was hay. Observing his surroundings, he noticed he was in a dark and gloomy cell, with stone for walls.

"At least they decided not to kill," he spoke to himself.

"An excellent and optimistic point of view," said a voice outside the bars. Looking through them, the conduit saw the large yellow dragon from the wall event. The electric man gave a grin, thinking back to the response he got from him, for he was pretty sure that he was the one who chuckled at his joke.

"I assume you're here to interrogate me?" Cole asked cheerily; He had a feeling that this dragon saw reason a lot better then the others.

"Well, yes, but I wasn't sent by the others, in fact, I'm not even supposed to be here."

Cole was slightly surprised by that; Did everyone thing it was taboo to visit an enemy?

"Alright, might as well play nice here, I'm Cole MacGrath."

The dragon gave a weary smile, "Well, I see no harm in giving mine. I am Volteer, Guardian of Electricity."

The conduit could not help but grin at that, "Electricity, huh? I guess you and me aren't to far apart."

"Yes, I saw your performance at the walls, and I'm curious how an odd-looking ape such as yourself obtained these powers."

"Well first," Cole began, getting comfy on the hay, "I'm a human, not an ape. Second, how I got these powers is complicated."

"Oh, please tell me... Cole," Volteer insisted, "I am fascinated by the way you can use your... powers."

"If you're impressed from just a simple Lightning Tether, wait 'til you see what else I have under my sleeve."

Volteer chuckled, "I would love to, but regulations require not to. Besides, I have another question. You said something about Spyro and Cynder. How do you know them?"

Cole decided to answer seriously, as he remembered this was a precarious topic before. "They came to my world," he responded, "through a vortex that I accidentally made. They didn't tell you?"

Volteer shook his head, "Those two didn't say anything about visiting a different world or meeting a 'human'." He put a claw to his chin and faced the ceiling. "Now that I think about it, they were awfully quiet when they returned from saving the world. I just thought it was because they were a couple."

The conduit looked to the floor with a smile, 'So Spyro and Cynder finally admitted their feelings. Good for them.'

Volteer noticed this, and asked, "How long have you known those two?"

The electric man chuckled lightly, "Only a day, but it was enough to have memories for a life time."

"I see..." Volteer commented quietly, "Well, I would ask you more questions, like what's that attached to your back, but I must request something from my fellow guardians."

And so, Volteer reluctantly left, walking up the flight of stairs to lead to what ever was above. Cole sighed, and laid back down on the hay with hands behind his head. He could only hope that Spyro would hurry up and get him out of here.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Volteer trotted up the stairs hastily; He was hoping himself to release this 'Cole' to study at the very least. Climbing up the steps in the Warfang dragon temple was not strange for a dragon to do. Flying was like running everywhere; It was tiring, and really unneeded.

When he arrived, he saw the other Guardians: the blue one, Cyril, and the green one, Terrador. Also in the room was Sparx, Spyro's dragonfly brother.

"Everyone," Volteer announced, intruding in on their conversation. "I must make a request!"

"No, Volteer," Cyril said, rolling his eyes, "You may not examine the new prisoner."

Volteer put on puppy dog eyes, and pleaded, "Please! I promise I'll watch him the whole time."

"I'm sorry, Volteer," Terrador apologized honestly, "but we simply can not let this thing out, we don't know what it will do once it is free."

The yellow Guardian hung his head low in defeat, and to add to his dismay, Sparx spoke up.

"Seriously, you wanted to let an unknown and potentially deadly monster out to dragon kind _just_ to study him?"

Volteer gave an embarrassed smile, "Well, yes."

"I can't believe this," Sparx said as he face palmed.

"Believe what?" said a familiar voice, everyone turned to the direction of the source, and saw, to their enjoyment, Spyro and Cynder.

"Spyro! You're back!" Sparx exclaimed, as he flew over to him and hugged his chest, to which Spyro chuckled.

"Glad to be back," he stated proudly, with Cynder walking up to him and nuzzling his neck.

"What have you found in the forest, Spyro?" asked Terrador, getting to the point.

Turned his head to face his, concentration etched onto his face. "There was no sign of the invading forces like we were told," Spyro told the group around him. "But when Cynder and I flew back here, we saw the whole platoon frozen solid in the fields."

"Do you think it was our new guest?" asked Volteer excitedly.

"Hardly," Cyril shrugged off, "Only the work of an Ice Guardian, or Spyro, could ever hope to pull something like that off."

"What guest?" asked Cynder, tilting her head in puzzlement.

"Our prisoner of war," Sparx proudly stated, putting his hands on his hips, "Or I guess prisoner of battle, in this case."

"What did he do?" Spyro questioned.

Terrador answered, "As far as we can tell, distract us from the main platoon that was approaching."

"Distract?" Spyro said with confusion, "He didn't attack you at all?"

"Well," Cyril started, but lost the words in his mouth, and instead said, "No, but he gave us one heck of a chase."

"Alright," giggled Cynder, "How long did it take?"

Terrador mumbled something, not looking Spyro or Cynder in the eye.

"Didn't quite catch that," laughed Spyro.

Terrador gave an irritated sigh, and said, "10 minutes."

Spyro and Cynder laughed hard at this. Usually, for a dragon, catching someone that didn't attack back, like hunting, took about a minute, two if the dragon was tired. However, in this case, there were about 20 dragons chasing down one person; It was hilarious to Spyro and Cynder.

"Aw, come on," Volteer urged, with embarrassment evident in his voice, "He was a lot nimbler then we thought."

"Okay, okay," Spyro grunted, calming down, "Where is this 'prisoner' anyway?"

"Down in the dungeon," Cyril said with distaste, "Where he belongs."

"Let's take a look shall we?" laughed Spyro, with Cynder no different.

The Guardians rolled their eyes, and lead the duo, along with Sparx, to the dungeon. When they arrived, they all walked past several other empty cells; No recent battles or wars prompted any reason to hold other people, even the crime rate was almost nonexistent.

When they were at the prisoners cell, the detainee was lost in the amount of hay that was given. Everybody looked at different angles but could not get a good picture of him. Eventually, Terrador had enough, and banging on the stone walls, and yelled out, "Hey, buddy, wake up!"

"I'm not your buddy, buddy," the prisoner snapped back, but began to get up never the less. As he began brushing off hay, while standing up, Spyro and Cynder eyes widened, and when he revealed himself completely, their jaws dropped.

"Cole!?" they both shouted out simultaneously.

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**And there you have it! If you want Zeke and other characters from inFAMOUS to be in the story, tell me. Also, give me lots of feedback; I want this story to be great to not only the readers, but to me as well! Also looking for Beta readers; PM me if you want to do this.**


	2. Chapter 2: Unknown

**Here you are. I think I made some small mistakes considering background knowledge. Hopefully it still works. Enjoy!**

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**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 2: Unknown**

Cole watched as Volteer headed up the stairs into the unknown. The privacy was greatly appreciated; He's been through quite a lot in only a few hours. Looking past at the recent events, he just realized that he may be stuck here. Zeke was probably alive, as is the rest of the planet, now that the Beast is gone.

The conduit sighed deeply, he wished he could at least tell Zeke that he's alright. Who knows how his best friend is taking his death. Not just his death, but also Kuo's and Nix's as well. Zeke was alone, and maybe even depressed. Just thinking about it made _Cole_ depressed.

Now, thinking of the Dragon Realms, he was slightly happier. Spyro and Cynder were here; He kept his promise. However, he couldn't forget that Malefor was here as well, though the electric man was still uncertain if he really exists. And the other dragons; They all seem loyal to his two dragon friends. They probably would rather die than sell them out. At least he knew that they were in good hands.

Rubbing his head, Cole decided to at least get some well deserved rest. He made the hay he was resting on as comfy as possible, and even put some on himself for a blanket. Sighing contently, he began to drift off, but just as he was about to fall completely asleep, the conduit heard a dull bang.

"Hey, buddy! Wake up!" someone shouted outside his cell.

Cole groaned; Can't anyone just let him rest? Why does everyone need to bother him. Though, granted, he was an alien to them, but still...

"Don't call me buddy, buddy," the electric man called back, irritated from the interruption. Cole knew he couldn't just ignore them; It wouldn't make a good impression. Making a great impression, however, was becoming less and less important as time went on.

Cole stood up, along with all the hay he piled on himself. Fuming, he started shaking it off with his hands, to at least make himself presentable. When almost all the hay was off, he heard two familiar shouts.

"Cole!?" the voices said in disbelief.

Looking up, the conduit was startled to not just see one or two dragons, but five! What really caught his eye, however, was the purple and black dragons. Staring at them, his frown slowly grew into a smile, until his mouth was agape in happiness.

"Spyro! Cynder!" he exclaimed, as he ran to the bars, gripping them tightly. The two dragons did this as well, giving each other a group hug while laughing like old friends, which they were.

The other dragons were positively shocked, to say the least, gazing at the trio as they hugged each other with smiles and grins.

"W-Wait," the blue one stammered, "You actually know this thing?!"

Breaking from their hug, Spyro and Cynder turned around with nervous smiles.

"Heh, heh," Spyro laughed embarrassingly, "Yes... It's a long story."

Suddenly, a dragonfly flew up to Spyro's face, absolutely livid. "You knew about a weird-looking ape and you decided _not_ to tell me?!"

"Look," Spyro sternly spoke, "We didn't think we would see him again, let alone come here to Warfang."

Cynder turned her head to face Cole, who had his arms crossed, and with a serious expression. "Sorry, Cole," she mumbled, facing downward, "We hoped we could visit again, but..."

She trailed off, afraid to go on. However, the conduit gave a sympathetic smile, and said, "Don't worry about it. To tell you the truth, I thought the same thing, especially when I was-"

He stopped himself, his face contorted with fear. He had almost told them about the Beast. He knew that it was gone, but he wasn't sure how they would react to him keeping it a secret.

"I mean, I had hope of seeing you again, but I wasn't sure how to do that," Cole saved with a nervous chuckle. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice his slip up, as they continued the conversation.

"Still," the blue dragon spoke, "Where did he get those powers of Ice and lightning? The only one who can wield more than one element is the purple dragons."

Cole chuckled, "Yeah, I can see it being confusing, and I can explain everything if you can let me out."

"Of course," the green one humbly agreed, getting the keys and unlocking the cell door. Cole thanked him, stretching his sore and aching body.

"By the way," Cole announced, still stretching, "It would be nice to know your names."

The blue one slapped his forehead, "Of course! We completely forgot. Well, I am Cyril, the Guardian of Ice." He bowed, showing his respect to a friend of Spyro's.

"I am Terrador," the green one grunted, "Guardian of Earth." He, too, bowed. The conduit found himself scratching the back of his head in embarrassment; no one really bowed to him before.

Suddenly, a dragonfly was in Cole's face, with a suspicious expression, causing the conduit to look at him quizzically. "Name's Sparx, and... I don't trust you."

"Sparx!" Spyro scolded, while Cynder giggled.

"Don't worry, Cole," she comforted, "He had the same feeling about me as well."

Cole tilted his head to the side; Why would Sparx not trust Cynder? It didn't make much sense, and the conduit knew he should ask about it later.

Spyro turned to the Guardians and requested "Hey guys, can we talk with Cole alone for a while? We kind of want to catch up a bit."

Cynder nodded, "Yeah, I mean, we'll bring him up when we're done."

The Guardians agreed and left the dungeon, until only Cole, Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx. Then, raising an eyebrow, Spyro nudged his head in the direction of the exit. Sparx scoffed, rolled his eyes, and also left.

Spyro sighed, then smiled up at Cole, who chuckled under the dragon's gaze. "You have a strange family, dude," the electric man laughed.

Spyro stared straight ahead in deep thought, then becoming serious, he asked, "How did you get here Cole? How come you can use Ice now? And where is everyone else?"

The conduit was some what prepared for these questions, though he still didn't know if telling them about the Beast was wise. Deciding it didn't matter, Cole shrugged and lied. "Beats me, I can't remember what happened before, or where everyone else is. But I do know about getting my Ice powers. You see, Kuo and I hooked our selves up to this Power Transfer Device, which allows other conduits to use the powers of another. When it was activated, I got her Ice powers, but for some reason, she didn't get my electric powers."

Cynder nodded, and said, "However you got here, Cole, I'm glad you're here."

Cole frowned and looked to the floor, "I'm glad too, but I have no way of getting back, or telling Zeke I'm alright."

The purple dragon put his paw on Cole's shoulder, and said, "We'll find a way; Don't know how long it'll take, but we'll get you home."

Cole turned his back to the dragon duo, as Spyro's paw slipped off. "That's the thing," the conduit admitted, "I'm not sure I want to go back. Sure, it'd be great to see Zeke, but... I don't know. It feels right to be here for some reason."

Cynder put a claw to her chin, and then decided, "Well, we can worry about that later. For now, everyone is waiting for us upstairs."

The others agreed, and they all went up the stairs to the city of Warfang.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Emerging from the dungeon, Cole blinked his eyes at the setting sun. The day was nearly over, and the conduit could see multiple dragons still doing whatever they needed to do. Spyro and Cynder continued walking like it was no big deal, but the conduit could only stop and stare at all the different dragons.

When he got here, he really didn't have time to examine them, as he was being chased. Now, however, he has all the time in the world, or he would if Spyro and Cynder didn't rush him. As they walked, the other dragons also stopped and stared at the strange creature, occasionally murmuring with their neighbor.

The electric man sighed; It wasn't much different when he had his powers in Empire City. He was an outcast, different from the average person, but in this case he was different simply because he wasn't a dragon. Cole couldn't judge them for that, he pretty much did the same when he first met Spyro.

Cole passed the mole people he saw on the wall, and it spawned a question that he wanted to ask. "Hey, why is there a bunch of mole... creature... things here? Isn't this a dragon city or something?"

Spyro turned his head to the conduit, still walking towards the Dragon Temple. "The Moles, as they like to be called, built the city in honor of the dragons. We just shelter them here for that kindness, and they help with minor jobs."

Cole nodded in understanding as the trio went up the flight of stairs to the top of the temple. "So this is the Dragon Temple, huh?" the conduit mumbled, inspecting the building with admiration.

Eventually, the trio had to walk through the training grounds to get to the main chamber. Thankfully, the Guardians were already there, as was other dragons about the same age as Spyro and Cynder. From what Cole could make out, the Guardians were training them, whether as an army or just school, he couldn't figure out.

Everybody started to stop what they were doing, staring at the creature that entered, while the conduit felt awkward and nervous.

'They all seem ready to jump me or something,' Cole thought to himself. 'I can't tell if it's because I'm a monster or just curiosity.'

The Guardians took notice of the distraction and walked up to the heroes, with Sparx no where in sight. "Now that you are finished speaking with each other," Cyril irritably spoke, "can you give us a demonstration of your powers?"

Cole gave a perplexed expression, "Why do you want me to show you?"

"Because," Terrador explained, "We want to know your full potential."

The conduit gave another sweep of the area, the dragons have now completely stopped training, and were gathering in a circle, excited at the prospect at seeing Cole perform.

Cole looked back at the Guardians, "In front of this crowd?"

They nodded, and the electric man said, "Are you sure?"

They nodded again, and the conduit said, "I do better when in battle."

Cyril groaned in annoyance, and Volteer chuckled quietly at that, while Terrador remained unchanged, merely nodding again.

Cole shrugged, and walked to the middle of the crowd as Spyro and Cynder merged with it. Making one final sweep of the audience, the electric man turned to Volteer, and asked, "Can you hit me with your electricity?"

The conduit could tell that the crowd was worried and confused, as if no one had asked to be hit by an element on purpose before. Volteer was no different, but didn't question it as he prepared a charge of it. Cole waited in anticipation, positioning his feet to brace for the attack. When Volteer was finished charging, he released a immense amount of electricity, causing the crowd to yelp and jump back to avoid getting shocked.

Standing there, Cole absorbed the electric current without even blinking. When Volteer was finished, the conduit was radiating blue with energy and arcing energy at the floor. This impressed some of the audience, but left others bored. The conduit smirked, taking out his Amp, and holding it up right in front of him with both hands. He then put all of the absorbed energy into the Amp. The electricity crackled as it built up, until the energy was released upward rapidly in a condensed sphere. When it was a couple meters high, it burst like a firework, showering everyone with harmless sparks.

The crowd cheered, yelling to the conduit how well the performance was as the electric man placed his Amp onto his back once again. Volteer walked up to Cole, wonder etched into his face.

"Amazing!" He commented, "Where did you get that metal device from?"

Chuckling, Cole crossed his arms and stated, "A friend of mine back home made it for me. It saved me more then once, and I'm sure it will help more in the future."

Volteer gave a slow nod, satisfied with the answer. The electric man would've continued showing off, but he felt himself begin to drift all slightly. He yawned again, and walked up to Spyro and Cynder, who were also ecstatic about his performance. "As much fun as I'm having, I could really use some rest."

The dragon duo nodded, and walked up to the Guardians, probably to see where he can sleep, the electric man figured. The large dragons responded to Spyro's question, and the duo walked back with a yellow dragon with a pink underbelly.

"Lemon can show you your room," Cynder explained, "We have some business to attend to."

Drowsy, Cole gave a sleepy nod, and Lemon, who was as tall as Cynder, began to lead him to a tower. Half way up the stairs, Lemon started conversing.

"So you're Cole MacGrath, the human with electric powers." she spoke.

"That's me," Cole replied, "I'd probably make a joke about that, but I'm too tired to do anything really."

Lemon giggled, and Cole remembered about her strange name. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but why is your name Lemon?"

The yellow dragon stopped her walking, causing the conduit to halt as well. He hoped he hadn't crossed some invisible line, but looking at her face, she had a sad smile on it.

Finally, she spoke up, continuing the journey to Cole's room. "My dad gave it to me since he loves lemons so much," she explained with a hint of sadness, "He told me that I was the greatest daughter he could ever have, which is why he gave the name to me."

Cole looked to the windows they were passing. The view was incredible at this height, even though it was dark from the night. "What about your mom, what did she think about your name?"

Lemon's head hung low, and the electric man, yet again, hoped he hadn't said something he shouldn't. When Lemon spoke up again, her voice was still the same, yet it felt heavier, "I never knew my mom, she left shortly after having me, leaving me with my dad."

Cole also looked down, "Sorry, I didn't have much love from my mom either, or my dad for that matter."

Lemon was not cheered up by his joke, and she stopped at a door. "We're here," Lemon stated gravely. Cole stopped as well, and Lemon began the long flight down, walking past the conduit.

Cole watched her as she left, slightly disheartened by the way she spoke. He cursed to himself quietly; Why did he try to joke about it? He could only facepalm at his own ignorance.

The conduit stepped into his room, closing the door behind him. His dorm was basically a dome, with a fire pit to the side, a balcony, and a bunch of pillows opposite the fireplace. The floor had a marble design, making the room much more quaint.

Without hesitating, Cole jumped into the pillows and fell asleep on the spot; He, after all, hadn't slept for nearly two days.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As Spyro and Cynder watched Cole and Lemon walk toward the conduit's new home, the Guardians began nudging the two toward the main chamber of the Dragon Temple. The room was large, with only a small pool in the center. The walls were filled with murals, portraying multiple scenes in their history.

"Now," Terrador began, "We must discuss our new arrival."

Volteer nodded, "Yes, he seems nice enough, though I can't speak with all dragons."

"I agree," Cyril added, "We may accept him, but the other dragons might take some convincing, especially since he has powers like a dragon."

Spyro walked up to the three, "Cynder and I can work on that. Convincing them of Cole's good intentions shouldn't be to hard."

"You were able to do it for me," Cynder acknowledged.

"Very well," Terrador agreed, nodding for emphasise, "You two will work on that, meanwhile, Sparx should be back with an update."

"Wait... what?" Spyro asked, furrowing his brow.

Cynder tilted her head, "What is Sparx going to update about?"

Cyril looked over at his fellow dragons, they nodded a confirmation, and the blue dragon turned back to Spyro and Cynder. "We have Sparx spying on Cole, to make sure he doesn't do anything out of line."

Spyro and Cynder both screamed, "What?!"

"You don't trust our judgement?" Spyro yelled out desperately, furious.

"Of course we do, Spyro," Terrador told him.

Cynder shook her head, "He helped us get home; He saved my life, and got us back. For strangers!"

"You only knew him for one day," Cyril emphasized, "He may have faked it, or changed since you last saw him."

Spyro knew that Cyril and the other Guardians were right, but that didn't stop him from being angry with them for the first time in his life. The purple dragon contained his anger, but ran out, not wanting to lash out at his mentors. Cynder stared at his fleeing body and did the same after a seconds hesitation.

Volteer sighed, "I told you he wouldn't like it."

"We know, Volteer," Cyril snapped, "but it was the best thing to do. For everyone."

The Guardians stood in silence, awaiting Sparx for his report. Soon, the yellow dragonfly flew in, his face a blank expression. "I watched him just as you asked," he said in a rather serious voice, "He's sleeping now, but I didn't see him doing anything, you know, bad."

Terrador nodded, "Thank you, Sparx, continue spying on him and give us daily reports."

The dragonfly saluted and flew out, leaving the dragons to worry about the stranger from another world.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole felt weightless, seeming to float in mid-air, still asleep. He opened his eyes a crack, then wide open at his surroundings. With a grunt, he frantically moved about, panicking slightly about the situation. Soon, he calmed down, beginning to understand the setting, though there wasn't much to look at besides himself and the darkness.

Eventually, the conduit felt solid ground beneath his feet as gravity seemed to kick in. Taking a few looks around, he saw a small light in the distance. He wasn't sure if he wanted to move towards it, but in the end he cautiously did so anyway, taking careful steps.

After a few minutes, he could see the light illuminate a few objects: A desk, some books, and a bookcase. He walked up to the desk to look at the books, noticing how the desk was a bit taller then normal. Still, he could read some of the books that sat ajar on top of it. He flipped through some of the pages, seeing various dragons he did not know.

"I see you have finally arrived," said a disembodied voice.

Backing away from the books hastily, Cole looked in multiple directions with an agitated expression, but saw no one.

"I hope you found who you're looking for," the voice said again, only this time right behind the conduit. Whipping around, the electric man came face to face with a large dragon, as tall as any of the Guardians, but had teal blue scales with some clothing.

"Who are you?" Cole asked in wonder, somehow knowing that he was some sort of benevolent entity.

"I am the Chronicler," the large dragon told, lowering his head to meet Cole's. "I have summoned you here."

Crossing his arms, Cole gazed at him with skeptical look. "Why did you bring me here, then? Going to tell my future?"

The Chronicler chuckled, "No, my dear Cole, but to show you of the past, and present."

The conduit stared at him, his face tensing up in thought. The Chronicler gestured toward the desk with his paw, and the electric man approached it with uncertainty. The Chronicler brought out a book from the bookshelf that had a dark blue cover with a golden lightning bolt on the front. He placed it in front of Cole to go through. The conduit opened it, and began to do so. Half way down the first page, his head jerked back suddenly in shock.

"This is... me. My life, who I met, what I did," he whispered in fascination. Then looking back up toward the Chronicler, the electric man stammered, "How... Where..."

The Chronicler knew what he was implying, and spoke, "As my title says, I record all tales of every dragon that existed and will exist."

Cole shook his head in confusion, "But I'm not a dragon, why would you record everything about me?"

The Chronicler looked up slightly, in deep thought, "I asked myself that as well. Destiny may have plans for you that no one can see. You can only follow the path that it has laid out for you."

The conduit rolled his eyes, "No offense, but I'm not much of a believer in destiny."

The Chronicler chuckled, "Perhaps, but you must realize I didn't just bring you here to show your life."

The Chronicler faced Cole, the man raising an eyebrow in puzzlement. "There is an evil coming that I had hoped was gone. And that _you_ are the only one that can stop it."

Cole gave a dry chuckle, and said, "I thought you couldn't tell the future? What was all that about?"

The Chronicler gave a chuckle of his own, and behind a small smile, he replied, "Magicians do not show all of their tricks."

"Right," Cole said slowly, still feeling strange about the whole thing.

"Just remember, Cole," The Chronicler advised, "Keep doing what you do best, and everything will fall into place."

The conduit turned his eyes to the ground in thought; Was he really the only one to stop it? What about Spyro, or the other dragons? Why couldn't they do something about it? It didn't make much sense to the electric man.

Suddenly, his vision began to be filled with white as the area began melting with each other. He had one last question, a personal one.

"Wait, what's your real name!" Cole insisted, remembering that the Chronicler said that his name was actually a title

As his vision was completely white, he heard a soft voice say, "Ignitus."

What followed up the whiteness was more darkness, but it was empty, unlike the previous scene. Cole could not feel anything again, like he was truly sleeping.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole heard knocking and opened his eyes. He was back in the room the dragons had given him. He sat up in his pillow-bed, rubbing his head.

'Man,' he thought, 'Why do I get the weirdest dreams?'

The door knocked again, and the conduit got up to answer. When he opened it, he found Lemon standing there with a blank expression.

"breakfast is in the Mess Hall," she told in a monotony voice.

The electric man flinched involuntarily. 'She must still be upset about the questions I asked her,' Cole theorized in his head.

"Right, thanks," Cole responded with a hint of awkwardness. Then, remembering that he is in an unknown city, he asked. "Are you, uh, going to lead me there?"

Lemon merely nodded, and the conduit nodded back in acknowledge, leaving his room, and following her. As they made their way down the stairs, Cole scratched the back of his head absentmindedly. He knew that he should apologize, but he didn't know if she even wanted one. Giving a long sigh, he decided to wing it and see how it turns out.

"I'm sorry," he commented out of no where. Lemon turned around with confusion and the electric man elaborated, looking to the side. "About yesterday, I shouldn't have asked you those questions if you weren't comfortable answering them."

Cole sighed again, and risked a glance toward Lemon. He saw her smiling, and even giggling slightly. The conduit began to give a light blush; He didn't think he looked _that_ stupid. Of course, he hasn't really apologized to a woman before, not even to Kuo or Nix. Not since Trish. Why he acting this way to her and not to any other girl he met, he didn't know.

"It's alright," she said with a smile, as she continued down the stairs with Cole following.

The conduit shook his head with a frown, "It's not alright, I joked about some personal issues of yours; I shouldn't have down that."

They had finished the flight of stairs, and were now walking through the streets to the Mess Hall, situated near the Dragon Temple.

"I mean it, it's fine," Lemon laughed. The electric man wondered why she was so cheery; Did he have that effect on others? He didn't think it was him, especially since it hasn't happened before now. Maybe the portal changed something, or he was becoming nicer. The conduit gritted his teeth as he rubbed his head again; He wished that something would make sense for once.

Suddenly, a red dragon stopped in front of Lemon and Cole. The conduit recognized him from yesterday; He was one of the dragons that had attacked him at the wall. If he remembered correctly, his name was Magma.

"Hey, Lemon," he said in a seductive tone. "How about after you drop off the dead weight," he gestured to Cole with his head, who furrowed his brow in anger, "You join me with a walk around Warfang."

"Uh, no thanks," Lemon declined politely, "I have more training today."

She made to go around Magma, but he just put himself in front of her again. "Oh come on," he urged, "You can skip for one day."

"I'm sorry, Magma," she said a bit sterner then before, "but I just want to focus on training."

The red dragon advanced on her with a sly grin, causing her to back up, a bit frightened. The conduit ground his teeth together in outrage; He was beginning to dislike this guy more and more. "You don't want to say no to me, Lemon," he practically demanded, "Now, what do you have to say for yourself, huh?"

She muttered incomprehensible words, causing Magma to smirk at her apprehensive behavior. Cole had just about enough as he was absolutely furious at the red dragon. Without thinking, he punched him in the face with a some electric energy thrown in, sending him flying into a cart full of hay, smashing it. Lemon was aghast with the conduit's reaction, not sure what to say or do.

Cole turned to her with a considerate gaze, "You shouldn't let him treat you like that. Your more than that."

She broke eye contact with the electric man, turning to the floor in discouragement, and stammered, "I-I know, b-but he-"

"You!" Magma called out with a growl. Cole turned casually around, with a furious stare. The cart was trashed, and the dragon had stood up with a outrageous expression. "You have something to want to say to me?"

"Certainly not sorry, that's for sure," Cole snapped back, crossing his arms with a scowl.

"Cole!" Lemon desperately warned, "You don't understand! He's-"

"Shut it, Lemon!" Magma scolded, causing her to flinch back. The conduit stood in front of her in a defensive manner. "If this idiot should know, it should be from me."

Cole narrowed his eyes with a frown, and Magma gave another smirk, sneering, "I am the prince of a dragon kingdom. I came here to represent for my father. And she," he pointed at Lemon, "Is my girlfriend."

Cole hid his surprise, with a stone face. He couldn't hold back a faint grunt though, allowing Magma's smile to widen in pleasure. "You can't touch me now, can you? You just have to grovel, and hope I forgive you, just like everyone-"

His sentence was cut short when a electric blast, pushed him right into a building leaving a noticeable hole, shocking all the bystanders. However, no one was nearly as taken back as Lemon was. No one, to her knowledge, had done that to Magma when they found out he's a prince.

"I don't care if you're the goddamn king!" Cole screamed in anger, pointing at the hole that held Magma. "No one treats others like that and gets away with it, especially if I'm around!"

"Cole!" Lemon pleaded, "Don't do this; Just walk away!"

The conduit turned to her with a compassionate expression, and merely grunted with a grin. Then turning back, his eyes widened, and he just dodge rolled out of the way as a fire ball exploded in the spot where he stood.

Magma had exited through the hole while the electric man was distracted. His emotions were conflicting: Anger at Cole, surprised that he attacked when he _knew_ he was a prince, and a tad scared of what the conduit was capable of.

In any case, the battle had begun between the two, as Cole unleashed a Bolt Stream, rapidly shooting electric bolts at Magma. The red dragon leaped into the air, escaping the barrage, as he shot another fire ball at the conduit. This time, the electric man simply stood there, with an emotionless face, as he was engulfed in the flame. The crowd gasped, thinking the human had met his end.

With a smirk, Magma ended his attack, and when the flames cleared, his jaw dropped. Cole was still there, and he erected a shield that had stopped the fire from getting to himself. This time it was Cole's turn to smirk, as he dropped his Frost Shield, and shooting an electric rocket. Magma was still startled that the electric man wasn't dead, and didn't see the rocket coming until it was too late.

The rocket hit him head on, exploding on impact, and the red dragon landed on his back, dazed. As he stood up, he glared daggers at the conduit. "You have made a big mistake," he expressed angrily.

Cole turned to his side, adopting a combat pose, as he whispered with a dark tone, "Bring it on."

* * *

**Cliffhanger! An author's best friend, in my opinion. Anyway, continue the feedback. It makes me a better writer, resulting in better stories!**


	3. Chapter 3: Another Day

**Jeez, I have a lot on my plate. Not only do I have my regular school, chores, and family loving, but also all the games I want to play, the videos I want to watch, the fanfics I want to read, and, of course, the stories I need to write. But I still have time for all of them... somehow.**

* * *

**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 3: Another Day**

Terrador paced decidedly, thinking hard about the newest guest. He, and the other two Guardians, were back in the main chamber. The Earth dragon had rounded up Cyril and Volteer for a serious discussion.

"He certainly can not be ignored," Volteer admitted, "He simply is interesting, to say the least. Able to control Electricty? Astonishing!"

"Of course you're interested in that, Volteer," Cyril said with an irritated tone, "What we must focus on is his goals. We don't know what he wants at all."

"Cyril is right," Terrador agreed, not even glancing at them. "This Cole is unknown as to what he will do; unpredictable. We must be cautious."

"But Spyro vouches for him," Volteer protested, "Why can't we trust the dragon that saved this world."

"It's not a question of trust," Terrador explained, "But of integrity."

"He was able to change Cynder to our side," Volteer persisted, "I still say that Cole has no evil intentions towards anybody."

"Better safe than sorry," Cyril replied with a smirk.

Volteer rolled his eyes, mumbling something about impracticality. Did they not see the logic of their ludicrous judgements? Cole may seem... distant, but that does not mean everyone should be suspicious of him. If he was told correctly, Cole trusted Spyro and Cynder almost at first sight when they went to his world. Can't they return the favor?

"We must have a plan of action if he turns on us," Terrador proclaimed, stopping in front of the two guardians.

"I suppose water could do it," Cyril suggested, "If he has electricity coursing through him, some water should electrocute himself."

"But can't he control Ice?" Terrador brought up, putting a claw to his chin in thought. "Would that make him invulnerable to water? What do you think, Volteer?"

"Oh, no," Volteer said, turning his head away, "I see no reason to come up with a back up plan that we will never use."

Terrador sighed, "Volteer, there _is_ a reason why we don't completely trust him."

Raising a brow, the yellow guardian asked, "And what is that?"

The green guardian made to speak, but a small shout stopped him. Looking around with confusion, he finally asked, "Did anyone else hear that?"

Another distant shout, except it was much closer. Sensing he was closer to the noise, Cyril walked towards it, at an open window.

"Guuuuuys!" Sparx suddenly yelled out, slamming himself into Cyril's snout. The dragonfly slid off, and was caught by the Ice Guardian. He strolled back over to the others, and placed Sparx on the ground.

"What is it Sparx? Do you have something to report?" Terrador quickly questioned.

Panting, Sparx flew back up so he was eye level with the others. "It's about Cole," he stated, "You won't believe what he got himself into."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Spyro could only hold a gloomy look as he and Cynder walked through the corridors towards the Mess Hall. Cynder didn't know what to do; She herself was a bit upset as well to the Guardians action to observe Cole. Sure, they were thinking of the safety of the other dragons, but it seems they are ignoring everything else.

"What would Cole think?" Spyro suddenly spoke, his gaze to the floor.

Caught off guard by the question, Cynder remained quiet, not really knowing herself. Spyro could feel that he hasn't known the conduit well enough. Maybe he was giving the electric man to much credit? He shook his head with an angry expression; How could he demerit Cole like that? He saved their lives and got them home. That's good in anybodies books, especially his.

The scowl did not go unnoticed, as Cynder caught it. She knew she should say _something_, but about what, she didn't know. Finally, she decided to cheer up her love.

"How the Guardians behave is wrong," she started slowly, "We both know that. Cole wouldn't risk his life to only come here to take advantage of us. We should be helping him in anyway we could, or at least repay his kindness. Instead, he gets thrown in the dungeon, and afterwards, treated like a savage beast."

Spyro said nothing, not wanting to interrupt, but also to think about her words.

"We need to do something," she continued, turning to face Spyro. "We have to take the first steps."

The purple dragon gave a small smile, and chuckled, "Yeah, I'm sure in time everyone will see how good he is. But we can make that time come sooner."

He stopped, bringing his eyes forward in thought. Cynder halted as well with a curious face. "I wonder if Cole knows yet," he said with a smirk, looking over at Cynder.

She tilted her head in confusion, and Spyro's expression became one of compassion. He leaned over and nuzzled Cynder, who realized what the purple dragon meant. Spyro voiced the notion anyway, "About us being together."

Her face turned a slight tinge of red; Telling the conduit about them being a couple felt a bit awkward, but right at the same time. Cynder nuzzled Spyro back passionately, the purple dragon's smile growing wider with happiness.

Despite what has happened in the last 24 hours, everything was fine. Cole was back, he and Cynder were together, and their wasn't a villain trying to destroy the world. He couldn't think of anything that would make it better.

"We need to tell him sooner or later," Cynder said after a few minutes of embracing each other. They pulled apart to look at each other, and Spyro gave a quiet chuckle.

"We have all the time in the world," Spyro quietly responded. "And besides, it's not like Cole is going to start a fight or something and get himself in trouble."

"Actually, I thought that would be the first thing he would do," Cynder joked.

They laughed together at this, until they heard the sound of a dragonfly's wings approaching from behind. Turning around, they both saw Sparx flying straight towards them, looking like he had flown all day.

He stopped in front of their faces, and hovered there catching his breath. He put a finger up, gesturing to give him a minute. After which, he took a deep breath, and shouted, "That friend of yours is in a fight with Magma!"

The duo were stunned by this, their mouths agape to show for it. Why would Cole start a fight with the prince? It was absurd, if he didn't know he was a prince. Undoubtably he knew, because the red dragon had told Spyro when they first met.

It was a week after their return from New Marais. The Kingdom of Dragunov, a far away empire, had made contact with the Dragon Realms. They haven't done so since Malefor was first defeated long ago. They wanted to make diplomatic relations, and set up trade. So the contract was written and signed, and everything was swell.

However, in light of their new partnership, the king, Dragunov, sent his youngest son, Magma, to represent his kingdom. At first, everyone in Warfang was ecstatic about having a prince, but in only a few short minutes, the red dragon had driven any kindness away. He was mean, arrogant, snooty, selfish, and spoiled, and that was only scratching the surface.

Still, they played nice, not wanting to disrupt they're new arrangement. After only a day, however, Spyro was almost at Magma's throat. He had flirted with Cynder in a not to subtle way, seeming like he wanted more than just a girlfriend. Not only did that tick off the purple dragon, but also the fact that Magma already _had_ a girlfriend, Lemon. Luckily, Cynder held him back before he could jump him.

Compared to the red dragon, Lemon was kind, considerate, and basically all the things that made Spyro and Cynder great. How she ended up dating a complete jerk was beyond any dragon, but no one had the guts to ask. That was when Spyro had found out about his prince position, and behaved himself since then.

Now, it seems that Cole had cracked at Magma's stingy attitude. Without a second thought, Spyro and Cynder dashed away with Sparx leading. "The Guardians are already there," the dragonfly informed, "just to let you know."

"Did they break it up?" Cynder asked as they turned a corner.

Sparx shook his head, "No, they wanted to watch."

"Watch?" Spyro repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Why did the Guardians not stop the conduit from battling Magma? It didn't sound like them to just spectate."

"Yeah, they wanted to see his true power," Sparx told, rounding another corner.

"True power?" Cynder exclaimed in surprise, "Oh boy, are they in for a show."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole couldn't help but smirk at the fight he got himself into. It felt like ages since he last fought. That was understandable, considering he usually fights a monster or militia member every other hour. He was currently climbing one of the buildings, as Magma flew at his level shooting fire balls at him. The conduit easily dodges them, but the force from the explosions would almost knock him off each time.

Eventually, he reached the top. The reason he scaled the building in the first place was to make sure no one got hurt and to really let loose his powers. At that thought, he gave a sly grin, and used his Bolt Stream. Magma evaded the attack easily and followed up with another fire ball.

Cole grunted as he dodged rolled out of the way and shot out a few rockets. The red dragon dodged these as well and landed on the roof with the conduit. This gave the electric man time to throw out a grenade. Magma swatted it away with his tail, little did he know that it was Sticky Grenade.

It was too late to realize it though, as the grenade exploded sending him towards the electric man. As if on cue, Cole took out his Amp, and prepared it like a baseball player with a bat.

"Heads up..." the conduit said as he swung his weapon, hitting Magma square in the face. This sent the red dragon to the other side of the roof on his back, groaning from the impact.

"...Tails down," Cole finished, placing his Amp back on his sling bag. He walked over to the dragon carefully, in case he wasn't down completely. His caution was rewarded when the red dragon sprung up and rammed his horns against Cole. With the air knocked out of him, the conduit couldn't stop Magma from shoving him off the building.

The electric man, under normal circumstances, would survive the fall. However, with the wind knocked out of him, he couldn't concentrate as he flailed around in his descent. In his fumbling, he could see the crowd of dragons below, watching with varying expressions at his plummet. Some were worried, others were indifferent, but one face stood out from the rest.

It was Lemon; She was fearful, and Cole knew it was for his health. He could almost feel time slow down as he watched her from the distance. The conduit had to survive, he could feel the urge inside himself. He knew he could do it, and he also knew he could it with style.

Taking out his Amp, Cole righted himself as the ground came closer and closer. Charging himself up with electricity, he saw the dragons below make a circle opening around his landing point. The electric man could only give a cocky smile as he used Thunder Drop, sending a shockwave of energy to the empty air.

Without hesitation, Cole sent a Redirect rocket into the air and shoot a bolt at the approaching Magma. The rocket instantly went to Magma, and exploded upon impact. The red dragon fell, and before he hit the ground, the conduit used his Kinetic Pulse to catch him, then released him again for a softer landing.

Magma quickly regained his composure and with an angry glare at Cole took off away from the city and into the fields. The conduit figured he won the battle, but it wasn't very satisfying, and with further inspection, he just realized that he beat up a prince.

A prince who was fully capable to run crying to his dad, or in this case, king.

Why didn't anyone stop him sooner?

Looking at the bystanders that had watched the ordeal, he saw only looks of shock and awe, no pun intended. Cole wasn't sure how to truly feel: Bad for beating up a prince, happy that he won the fight, or embarrassed at the crowd he attracted.

Then three loud thuds behind him indicated someone landing. The crowd scattered, acting like they saw nothing. Turning around, he saw the Guardians he met yesterday. Groaning, he looked at them with crossed arms. "Alright, what's my punishment?"

Terrador only stared at him sternly, before saying, "Come," and leading the other two Guardians with equally stern expressions.

Sighing, the conduit followed reluctantly towards the Dragon Temple. As they walked, the electric man could only think about what they would do to him. He settled on being cooked alive with fire, seeing as they're dragons and he isn't. However, the thought of Spyro entered his mind, and maybe the purple dragon could defend him.

Cole noticed the Guardians stopping and did so as well. What he didn't notice was that they had entered a strange chamber with a small pool in the center.

'Better keep my distance from that,' Cole concluded in his head.

As soon as the door behind him closed, Cyril and Volteer were in front of him, praising him about something. Absolutely bewildered, he just humbly accepted the compliments until Terrador told them to back away. The green dragon stepped forward, with a proud smile as well; Maybe he wasn't in as much trouble as he thought.

"I'm quite surprised, Cole," Terrador said, "I didn't know you were capable of such quantities of power."

Cole gave a smile, "It wasn't easy to get to this point."

"I'm sure it wasn't," Terrador said rather quietly, and almost sadly.

Volteer answered his unsaid question, "Taking on Magma was wonderful for everybody... but you must answer for taking on a prince."

"Ah figures," Cole mumbled as he cross his arms.

"You see," Cyril explained, "you have made yourself, and potentially everyone in Warfang, an enemy to the their kingdom."

"That idiot asked for it!" Cole shouted out, "He practically _begged_ for it!"

"Were not questioning whether what you did was right or wrong," Terrador stated, putting a paw up. "But how to respond to these crimes is."

Grumbling, Cole looked away furiously. Then a question popped up that he couldn't shake. "What's the name of this kingdom?"

"The Kingdom of Dragunov," Volteer answered.

Cole stifled a laugh that was caught by the Guardians who furrowed their brows. "What's so funny about that?" Volteer asked.

"Oh nothing," the conduit waved off, "Let's just say that I would probably be shot at by that."

Shaking his remark off, Terrador became serious. "You still have to be punished, there's no way out of that."

The electric man scratched the back of his head, "Of course I do."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

By the time Spyro and Cynder arrived at the scene of the battle, there was hardly anybody there. They all seemed to skedaddle when the Guardians arrived to take Cole. Still, the uneasiness of the atmosphere made it seem like the conduit was out for blood. The duo knew they had to restore order and give Cole a good light.

Before they could begin, somebody shouted out their names. Looking over, they saw Lemon approached them, clearly shaken by what transpired here.

"Lemon!" Cynder exclaimed with a smile. She met her half way and gave her friend a hug. They were the only two female dragons at the same age. Needless to say, they became close friends because of this.

Lemon returned the smile as they broke apart, but it slid to sadness as Spyro trotted over to join them. "Do you know what happened here?" the purple dragon asked softly.

Lemon nodded, "Actually, the fight started because of me."

Spyro and Cynder looked at each other in confusion, a bit afraid to ask why. Lemon sighed deeply, and whispered, "Magma was trying to get me in bed again."

Just the thought of that made Spyro's blood boil, and he was too furious to respond to Lemon. Instead, Cynder asked, "And Cole was there?"

Lemon nodded again, and Spyro's blood rage lessened considerably. He was glad that somebody put Magma in his place, and who better than Cole? Especially to defend a friend.

"I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen, and now..." she trailed off as the thought was too painful.

"I'm sure nothing horrible will happen to him," Cynder comforted.

Spyro could only hope that as well, but something was nagging at him to assist his human friend. "I'm going to help Cole. Cynder, can you take care of Lemon."

"Of course," she agreed, giving a nod.

With that, Spyro took flight, heading for the main chamber where most judgements were made.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole could not believe what he was hearing. The punishment the Guardians placed upon him was unspeakable, unheard of. He wanted anything but that. It was cruel beyond any measure of pain he has experienced.

He would've argued, but he was too shocked to do so. His sputtering and stammers were the only thing he could get out. His initial shock began to fade away, now being replaced with anger.

"You want me to do _that_!?" he yelled.

"Indeed we do," Cyril replied with a smirk.

"Very sorry to do so, but the best plausible idea," Volteer put in.

"Plus, we have an mission that goes along with it," Terrador added with a nod.

"I can't believe this!" the conduit practically screamed in anger, facepalming.

At that moment, the doors burst open, and in ran Spyro. "Wait! Stop!"

"Spyro?" Cole questioned, forgetting his punishment for a second. He had hoped the purple dragon would come to help, but it seemed too late.

"You can't punish him," Spyro stated, "He was only helping a friend!"

"Was Magma physically hurting anyone?" Cyril asked with a bored expression.

"Well... no," Spyro said, with a sheepish grin.

"His punishment isn't even that bad," Volteer assured.

"Maybe to you guys," Cole interjected, pointing a finger in there direction, "You're the ones who aren't doing it!"

Tilting he head, Spyro asked, "What _is _your punishment anyway?"

The conduit looked over to Spyro and then to the ground with a sigh, "I have to go to the kingdom... and apologize."

Spyro gave a hopeful smile, "Well that's not so-"

"It's the worst punishment you can give!" Cole snapped, "Especially if that someone you have to apologize to is Magma." He ended that sentence with distaste.

"Well, sorry Cole," Spyro said, patting the electric man's back in empathy.

The conduit sighed again in defeat, and asked heavily, "When do I leave?"

"First thing tomorrow," Cyril announced.

"Aw, come on!" Cole complained, throwing his arms up, "Now I have to wake up early too!?"

Spyro gave a dry chuckle, but stopped when the conduit glared at him, coughing to cover it up. In Spyro's opinion, the punishment wasn't so bad. The Guardians could've done a whole lot worse. Then again, he wasn't Cole, and didn't know how much pain he has endured.

"Now you must leave," Terrador told, "We have important business with Spyro and Cynder."

Now Spyro was confused, "Why can't he stay and listen? Maybe he can help."

Cole nodded in agreement, still mad about his punishment, but Cyril shook his head, "No offence, but we still don't know your intentions and-"

"Intentions!?" Cole shouted, anger flaring up again, "I'm stuck in this world, I have no way home, and only been here a day, and your scared of my _intentions_!?"

Nobody answered, not only because it was rhetorical, but also out of surprise at the conduit's out burst. "What could I do to make things worse? Maybe try to take on a city with 200 dragons? Hell no! I don't know what to do or what I _should_ do! And all you think is I'm a possible enemy!? I'm sorry, but if that's what you think than you are no better than Malefor!"

He was screaming at this point, but at his last spoken words, he sat down in tiredness and dizziness. He placed a hand on his head to hid a few stray tears that were able to get out.

The conduit knew about what they were plotting behind his back, how they were watching him with Sparx. That was as much as he knew, but it was enough to make him rage. He was glad to get it off his chest, but it still hurt to even consider himself evil.

To the dragons in the room, they gasped, not only from Cole comparing them to Malefor, but also that Cole _knew_ Malefor. How would he know about an enemy he has neither seen nor heard of?

Spyro wanted to comfort him, especially in his current state, but his curiosity and fear got the best of him, as he asked, "How... how do you know Malefor?"

Cole couldn't help but chuckle; Of all the things that he said, they bring up 'the Dark Master'. Not only that, but the memory of making that dragon mad was priceless.

"Where do I begin," he mumbled almost to himself, pulling his hand away from his face with a solemn expression.

He gave a shaky sigh, as the Guardians came closer to better hear the conduit. "The first time I met him was after Spyro froze me." The Guardians looked at each other in confusion. "I'll explain that later, anyway, I was dreaming, and I entered what he called the dream realm. He tried to persuade me to turn on Spyro, saying he was actually evil. Naturally, I told him to get lost."

Cole stopped a second to let the information to sink in before continuing. "The next time I met him was in the dream realm again, when we were captured. He tried to make me turn on Spyro again, but I just refused like last time."

After recounting these dreams, Cole realized something. Malefor had said that he had turned Spyro to evil before, and the memory of the purple dragon turning into a dark figure entered his mind. He and Spyro really need to come clean one of these days.

The dragons, on the other hand, were terrified. Malefor could still be alive? Is that even possible? Spyro took it the worst; He had stopped him three times, and he _still_ wants revenge. It felt like a bad story, with the evil villain returning to wreak havoc. The purple dragon wished he could go one year without his name popping up.

"Are you absolutely sure it was Malefor?" Volteer choked out.

"Positive," Cole replied quietly, still in deep thought. The Guardians muttered amongst themselves, leaving Spyro and Cole to talk.

"Why didn't you tell me you met Malefor?" he asked desperately.

The conduit stared at him with a 'are you serious' expression. "First, I thought it was a dream. Second, We were captured before I could ask you."

"Oh, right," Spyro recalled, shivering slightly at the memory.

They waited in silence as the murmurs from the Guardians continued for a few minutes. Then Terrador stepped forward, his face grave. "In light to this recent news, we now want you both, along with Cynder, to head to the Kingdom of Dragunov. Your objective is to convince the king to prepare any troops for any possible attack. And also to win the hearts and minds of the people of our desire for peace."

He then gave Cole a cold stare, who shrugged it off with a grin; He couldn't help it if a jerk was being what he is in front of him. Spyro gave a quick nod, but before he could say anything a voice from the entrance stopped him.

"So we're leaving, huh?" Cynder said, walking over to Cole and Spyro, who were both shocked by here sudden appearance.

"How long you've been listening?" Cole asked finally standing back up, brushing off some dirt on his pants.

"Only the whole time," she replied back. Spyro made to speak, but was interrupted when Cynder spoke again. "And don't worry Spyro, Lemon is fine."

The purple dragon closed his mouth, and nodded. Then with a smile, he walked up to her and nuzzled, momentarily forgetting everything he had learned in the chamber.

Cole's smile widened with each passing second. He crossed his arms, and held back a chuckle. He knew they would get together, but seeing it first hand... It made it more real.

"I see I didn't miss anything major when you left," Cole joked.

They realized what they were doing and both backed away, not in embarrassment, but in remembering that Cole didn't know. They both stuttered their responses at the same time, ending in utter gibberish. Cole laughed at their baffled states, thoroughly enjoying it.

Finally, he waved his hands in the air to stop them and then laughed, "It's fine, I already knew. You can thank Volteer for that." Jerking his head in the Guardian's direction.

He then walked up to them, and placed each hand on the duo's shoulders. "I'm happy for both of you," he assured, "I have never met a better couple." Then placing his hand on his chin in thought, he admitted, "To be honest, I actually haven't seen many couples."

Spyro and Cynder stifled a laugh at his quip, but Cole could tell he got to them. He was glad he could still hold his humor. Then turning serious, the conduit turned to face the Guardians, who haven't spoken since Cynder's arrival.

"So it's over to the Kingdom of Dragunov for me to apologize, and to also warn about Malefor's probable return, huh?"

"You put it so nicely," Cyril said sarcastically, "Yes, that's your mission."

"Well, sorry to break this fest, but I need to know how far it is."

"Approximately 46 miles," Volteer answered.

"Crap."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Spyro, Cynder, and Cole left the chamber walking around in the corridors. They walked in silence, until a low grumble originated from the conduit. Patting his belly, he announced, "I still haven't eaten yet today."

When he thought about it, he hadn't properly eaten since before the Beast battle. The dragons chuckled, and Spyro said, "Don't worry I'm sure there's still lunch in the Mess Hall."

"I sure hope so," Cole commented, his stomach growling again in anticipation.

"Cole!" a voice shouted from behind him. Turning around, he was taken back to see Lemon. He thought she would keep her distance, seeing as he beat up the prince that was supposed to be her boyfriend.

She ran up to him and threw her front paws around his neck in a hug. Now he was surprised. "Wha- I didn't think you cared that much about me," he honestly admitted.

She quickly pulled away, "What did they do to you?"

Cole gave a quick shrug, "I have to go with Spyro and Cynder to the Kingdom of Dragunov to apologize."

"Wait, that's it?" she asked, "That isn't so bad."

The conduit groaned, "Am I the only one who thinks this is stupid to travel 50 miles to a king _just _to say I'm sorry?"

"Yes," all the dragons said flatly.

"Anyway, I'm coming with you," Lemon continued.

"What for?" Cole emphasized, "No one's forcing you."

"Well..." she started hesitantly, "I have to go. Magma left without me and since I'm his... girlfriend, I have to go back home."

The electric man growled, and slammed his fist into the wall, "That stupid prince thinks he can get away with anything!"

"I owe him a great debt," she mumbled, but it was enough for everyone to catch it.

"Debt?" Cole repeated questionably.

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied hastily, turning her head away from the group.

"Alright, so you're coming with us then?" Spyro interjected, making sure she was coming. When she nodded, he proclaimed, "Okay, we'll all meet up at the gate when it's time to leave."

Everyone agreed, and they all went their separate ways, with the conduit sprinting to the Mess Hall. No more delays now, he was genuinely hungry.

* * *

**I don't think this is considered a cliffhanger, so I hope you're happy.**


	4. Chapter 4: There's Always Something

**I was getting writers block while writing this, so apologies. Still, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 4: There's Always Something**

The morning sun rose over the horizon, illuminating the beautiful land. The rays the light projected entered a tower room, and landed on a certain conduit's eyes. The sudden light made him shift in bed uncomfortably, and he eventually scooted away from the light, and sat up in his pillow bed.

The first thing Cole thought of was what had happened last night. Thankfully, he didn't have any drinks, for he couldn't find any, so he could remember clearly what happened. Though it was a rather boring dinner, the conduit did have a fairly fun time. Eating with his friends and happy that there was no Magma to ruin it all.

The electric man sighed, and pulled himself up to stand. He cracked his back, and retrieved his shirt and sling bag, putting each item on. Cole then looked out the window at the rising sun, taking in the view. He was somewhat glad that he woke up early, perhaps he could get to the gate a little sooner for his departure.

However, just thinking of leaving to travel about 50 miles just to apologize to a worm like Magma did not set right with the conduit, quite the opposite in fact. Cole sighed again, and decided to get breakfast before heading out to the entrance. Looking out of the window to the ground below, he smiled when no one was there, and fluidly jumped out of the opening.

Freefalling, Cole gave a smirk, did a flip in the air, and landed with expertise, retracting his knees so as not to break them. The conduit stood back up again, brushed himself casually, and started his trek for the food court. The streets were practically empty; Only the occasional dragon or mole showed that there was still life in the city.

Once in a while, someone would stare at him with confusion. The conduit understood their curiosity; It wasn't everyday that they saw a human. Upon entering the cafeteria, Cole was hit with the smell of cooked meals, which brought out a smile on his face. The food wasn't too different from Earths, so he had no trouble adapting.

Grabbing some bacon, eggs, and other morning delicacies, Cole brought his haul to a table, and began to eat. With his hunger, he finished quickly, and still had room for seconds. After eating, the conduit exited the food court and began climbing an adjacent building. At the top, the electric man began his parkour trip to the gates.

'Man, it's just like old times,' Cole thought, 'Gliding, jumping, climbing. Stairs have nothing on this.'

At the last building, overlooking the entrance into Warfang, Cole jumped down and landed with no trouble.

"Now to wait for the others," Cole mused, crossing his arms as he leaned against a wall.

The conduit must have awoken earlier then he thought, as hour after hour passed with no sign of his friends. Finally, Spyro and Cynder could be seen walking to his position. Cole didn't move until they were within a few feet of him, and he gave them an irritated stare.

"Where have you guys been?" he asked, "I've been waiting her for hours for you guys."

"Sorry, Cole," Spyro apologized with a sheepish grin, "We were a bit... sidetracked."

"Are you talking about me?" A voice called out, from behind Spyro.

The source of the voice came out, revealing that it was Sparx. The dragonfly looked at the purple dragon, clearly annoyed, and gave a very stern glare.

"And you still haven't given me a good reason why I can't come." Sparx accused, pointing a finger right at the purple dragon. "It could be like old times!"

Cynder rolled her eyes, and Spyro shook his head. "Sparx," Spyro started, "As much fun it would be for you to join, we have to do this alone. Besides," he looked over at Cole, "Cole's going to be with us."

With that said, Sparx's eyes widened, and he hastily waved his hands in front of him, "Never mind, I can manage! No big deal!"

The electric man simply rolled his eyes, cursing under his breath. The dragonfly suddenly turned serious, as he crossed his arms while gazing intently at Spyro. "Also, the Guardians wanted me to tell you that there are reports of evil baddies, or whatever, patrolling."

The purple dragon raised a brow, "You wanted to come even knowing there would be trouble?"

"Well yeah!" Sparx responded, as if it was obvious, "It's so boring here now-a-days. Not that I'm hoping for another end-of-the-world scenario, but still..."

"Are we leaving or what?" Cole questioned annoyingly, stepping away from the wall he was leaning against. The conduit was not a very patient man, and just wanted to get this journey over with.

"Oh right, sorry," Spyro replied, then turning back to Sparx, he quickly whispered, "take care of yourself."

"I should say that to you," the dragonfly whispered back, gesturing towards Cole. Shaking his head, the purple dragon joined the electric man and Cynder at the entrance, who were both ready to go.

"So, has anyone seen Lemon?" Cynder asked, looking around for the yellow dragon.

"Here! Here. Sorry I'm late," Lemon shouted from above, lowering herself from flight. At this point, the conduit noticed that everyone had a backpack, probably filled with supplies and other necessities. He didn't really bring anything, but considering he was technically a guest and that he brought very little from his world, it was understandable.

After a brief good-bye from Cynder and Lemon to Sparx, the four began their long journey to the Kingdom of Dragunov. After about a mile of walking, Cole turned back around to see Warfang in all its beauty. It was stunning at this time of day, but he didn't have time to sight see. Exhaling loudly, the conduit turned back around, and jogged back to unite with his friends, who didn't notice his halt.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

High above, in the Dragon Temple's main chamber, Terrador, Cyril, and Volteer watched the four walk to there destination. After a few moments, Sparx flew in, and said, "I gave them the message like you asked."

"Most appreciated," Cyril thanked with a nod.

Sparx nodded back and flew back out. After which, Terrador took a long sigh, and stepped away from their viewing point. "I have to admit," the green Guardian announced, "Cole is not what I thought he would be."

"Agreed," Cyril concurred, also walking along side Terrador.

Volteer stared at the three dragons and human until the words that his fellow Guardians said registered in his head. "Wait, what do you mean by that?" he questioned, turning around with a hint of annoyance, "We haven't met Cole until yesterday. How could he be not what you expected?"

"That's right," Terrador spoke in wonder, "We still haven't told you."

"Told me what?"

Terrador looked over to Cyril, who was standing beside him, and the Ice Guardian gave his nod of approval. Afterwords, Terrador turned back to Volteer.

"You should probably sit down for this," the Earth Guardian advised, gesturing to the ground. Volteer hesitated a second, but brushed it off and sat down where he stood. Cyril took a deep breath, and began the tale.

"A little after Spyro and Cynder returned to Warfang, Terrador and I found a strange, sealed off section of the city. We busted down the wall that blocked it to find a corridor leading to a large room with writings all along the wall."

Terrador took it from there, "We concluded that they were written by the Ancients long ago. After studying them for a spell, we discovered something ominous. The writing spoke of a creature. One that was so evil, that the world from which he came from was practically destroyed."

Cyril spoke again, "The description for this creature said it had an ape-like structure with almost no fur whatsoever. With powers that were thought never possible in such a beast. The wall's final message was a warning to stop this evil before it was too late."

Volteer's jaw dropped, not only from the story, but also from a small, almost insignificant detail. "You found an ancient room and you didn't tell me about it!?" he shouted hysterically with wide eyes.

The other two Guardians looked at each other with bored expressions, then facing Volteer again, they simultaneously say, "You can't be serious?"

"We just told you of a great evil," Terrador expressed, "one that might be as dangerous as Malefor himself, and all you think about is the room we found?"

"Indeed I do!" Volteer snapped, "For one thing, even though that description falls on the lines of Cole, there is no true evidence that he is evil. Second, you said that the world he came from is nearly destroyed, yet Spyro and Cynder just went there and saw nothing of the sort. Finally, how do you know that your translations of the ancient dragon tongue is even correct?"

Cyril sighed, "Why do you defend him so much? I'm sure if you saw the text yourself, you would agree with us that Cole is potentially dangerous."

"I wish I could, but you never thought to give me this information in the first place," Volteer replied, clearly angry with their behaviour.

"Alright," Terrador acknowledged rubbing his temples, "If we show you the room, will you believe us?"

Volteer scoffed, "Only if the evidence points to it, then yes."

"Better than nothing," Cyril muttered so only Terrador could hear, rolling his eyes in the process.

Nodding, Terrador announced, "Very well, we'll head to the ancient chamber as soon as possible."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The crew of four heading for the Kingdom of Dragunov had finally entered the treeline. The forest itself was rather normal, then again, Cole has never been in a regular forest before. The closest thing that he knew of was the swamp at New Marais. Still, the conduit was hardly surprised at what a real forest was like besides a mucky marshlands and a city park.

As they walked, the sun that used to hold above them slowly began to set over the horizon. In only a few hours of walking, the area was becoming increasingly dark.

"We should probably set up camp for the night," Cynder suggested, eyeing the sky above. Everyone agreed, and they continued walking until they came across an open, circular clearing where only grass resided. Thanking their luck, the dragons took off their packs and began rummaging through them, taking out pillows and blankets.

While they were doing this, Cole ventured out further grabbing firewood for the inevitable campfire. As he did this, the conduit reflected on how he never did something like this before. As a kid, his father never took him camping, and when he was old enough to do it on his own, the electric man didn't have the time. This was especially true after the blast that granted him his powers.

Returning with the logs, Cole placed them in a pyramidal figure, and Spyro used his fire breath to light it up. In a split second, they had a warm, roaring fire in front of them.

"Alright," the conduit announced, as everyone got comfortable around the fire while he remained standing, "I'll take first look out."

"Look out?" Cynder repeated quizzically, "I don't think that's necessary."

"To you, maybe," retorted Cole rather harshly, walking over to a tree. He looked up at the top, then back to the others. "But It's better safe than sorry. If you don't want to, then I can hold up 'til dawn."

Spyro made to reply, but the electric man was already climbing, making the purple dragon's unspoken comment void. He sighed shaking his head, and turned his eyes back to the fire before him.

"Is he always like this?" Lemon asked, watching the conduit scale the tall tree.

"I would assume so," Spyro said with a sigh, laying down on his make-shift bed. "He's a bit defensive and paranoid, but reliable." He yawned, and then commented, "I suppose a few months with powers like his would do that to you."

"A few months?" Lemon questioned, breaking her gaze from Cole to look at Spyro, "He wasn't born with them?"

The purple dragon shook his head, and laid it on the ground. "He told us that his powers were forced upon him, by some guy named Kessler. He also-"

Spyro stopped abruptly, remembering what the conduit had told him about his future self. Though Spyro didn't see anything wrong with sharing the info about Trish's fate, he felt that the electric man had the right to do that. Lemon raised a brow at the purple dragon's sudden stutter, and Cynder quickly recovered for Spyro's slip up.

"What he meant to say," the black dragoness spoke, "was that Cole has used his powers for the good of his city."

Lemon nodded in understanding and Spyro let out a sigh of relief, glad his blunder came unnoticed. Cynder walked over to Spyro's position and laid down next to him. Once comfortable, she laid her head on the purple dragon's shoulder, sighing contently.

Spyro let out a smile, and closed his eyes to sleep, as did Cynder. Lemon, on the other hand, felt lonely after seeing the display of affection. The only boyfriend she has ever had been with Magma, and even she barely counted that. Her mind wandered to Cole: how loyal he was to his friends, how kind he could be, how cute-

She shook her head suddenly, shaking of those thoughts. He was a different species and she was thinking about about him like he was another dragon. Even so, she blushed where she sat; he _was_ kind of cute.

Lemon found herself staring at Cole's darkened form on the top of the tree. She wondered if he was lonely as well.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As Cole left his friends on the ground, he climbed the tree carefully. Though he was a very capable climber, he has never climbed trees before. Even in New Marais, he avoided them altogether, preferring to stick to buildings. After a series of mistakes and close calls, the conduit finally made it to the top.

The electric man stood on a Y-shaped branch; It was shaped nicely so he could sit down on top of it for hours without soreness, if need be. The view wasn't to bad either, with the blissful forest and a waterfall that was in the distance. The moon sat perfectly on the horizon, hovering right above the forest, from his point of view.

'Almost romantic,' Cole thought, then with a deep frown, 'those times are gone now.'

He sat down on the branch, allowing his feet to dangle over the edge. His thoughts continued to think about love. Now that he was in a world without humans, and almost no chance of him getting home, he can just dump the idea out. How was he to find affection in this world?

Cole snapped himself out of his contemplation. He didn't have time to worry about stuff like that know, he was supposed to keep watch. Focusing, he sharpened his perception and scanned the area.

"Cole?" a voice suddenly spoke right behind him. It startled him to the point where he nearly fell off. Gripping the tree, he whipped his head around to see Lemon laying on another horizontal tree branch. When she saw the conduit's surprised expression, she instantly became regretful for sneaking up behind him.

"Sorry! Sorry," she apologized hastily, "I didn't mean to scare you."

The electric man turned his head to his front, "It's... it's no big deal."

"Is it alright if I join you?"

"You're not tired?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to her.

She shook her head, "I can't sleep."

"What about Spyro and Cynder?"

"Well..." her gaze fell down to the two sleeping dragons dragons below. Cole followed her gaze to see what she meant. He shrugged his shoulders, "It's alright with me. It was becoming boring anyway."

She giggled, and Cole let out a happy grunt as well at his joke. Lemon hopped over to a thick branch that stretched out in front of the conduit and got comfortable. Once she was snug, she turned her head over to the conduit to see him in deep thought.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked quietly, frowning.

"Just... my old home," Cole replied not meeting her eyes.

Lemon gave a solemn expression, and became curious about where he came from. "What's it like there?" she asked slowly.

Cole didn't move, still staring off into space as he answered, "A lot more complicated than this place. There are more people there that would only help you if there was something in it for themselves, even then, they would drop you at a moments notice."

Lemon looked horrified, "It's that bad?"

The conduit noticed how frightened he was making her and quickly said, "No, no, that's just my opinion. You know, I say stupid stuff, I didn't mean it like that."

Scratching the back of his head embarrassingly, he continued, "We have advanced technology, variety of cultures and religions, diverse locales. And yet, people still continue to care about only themselves."

At this point, the conduit is talking to himself, but Lemon broke off from this. "Did you have any friends there?" she asked, hoping to hear something positive about Cole's world.

The conduit gave a smile, and after a second he chuckled, "Yeah, I had some good friends you could say."

"Who were they?" Lemon asked curiously, glad that Cole wasn't so sad now.

The electric man brought his hand to his chin in thought. Eventually, he looked at Lemon, and answered, "Well, there's Zeke. Me and him go way back; best friends for a long while. Good for a drink, but... he can be an idiot sometimes." Cole remembered back to when Zeke betrayed him. Though his friend had redeemed himself, you can't erase the past.

Shaking off the thoughts, the conduit continued, "Then there's Kuo. She was an agent of the NSA, trying to protect the country and such. She had powers that were forced on her, like me. Since then, she helped me out quite a bit in New Marais." He would have continued, but he remembered Kuo's betrayal at the end. The time to reveal everything to his dragon friends was coming, but not right now. There was still time.

"Finally, there's Nix. She still confuses me. Sometimes she would only care about herself, other times she sacrifices to help the whole. Then again, I think she does that for herself as well."

The conduit sat there, an indication of the end of his story. However, Lemon was slightly confused, tilting her head to the side.

"That's it?"

Cole nodded, "Pretty much."

"No one else you consider a friend?"

"Everyone that I once considered a friend either lied to me, stabbed me in the back, or tried to kill me," the electric man replied coldly, "So no, no one else."

Lemon hesitated for a second, but eventually whispered, "Anyone you loved?"

At that, Cole's whole frame seemed to deflate from the thought. Did she really have to bring that up? Still, the conduit didn't want to be rude.

"Once," he said simply.

"What was she like?" she urged, leaning slightly toward Cole.

The conduit searched his mind about all he could remember about Trish. A lot of it, sadly, was painful. But there was still happiness through it all.

"She was a better person then I'll every be," the electric man admitted heavily, staring at his knees. "She was a nurse, and would always try to help anybody that needed it."

He trailed off, afraid to delve deeper in the memories. Still, Lemon persisted as she looked down herself and asked quietly, "Why was she better than you?"

The conduit brought his eyes up to hers, as she too looked at him. When she stared at Cole's eyes, however, she couldn't help but feel a chill in the air as she shivered.

"Because I let her die," Cole said flatly, causing Lemon to gasp, her expression changing to one of shock.

Solemnly, Cole explained, "Kessler, a version of myself from the future, gave me a choice: either save six doctors, who in turn could save thousands, or save Trish, the love of my life. I knew what Trish would've picked, it still hurts to this day, but I chose the doctors... and she died..."

Lemon began to feel tears building up in the corners of her eyes. She couldn't believe that Cole went through so much. She felt guilty for bringing it up, and some how knew she should leave. She stood up, intending to do just that, until a hand fell on her shoulder, stopping her.

Lemon looked at the hand, and followed it up to Cole himself, who had a sad smile. "What about you? Anything interesting?"

Lemon simply stared at Cole with an unchanged face as she said, "No, nothing interesting."

The conduit knew she was lying, but didn't want to pry. So instead he added, "Thanks for the talk."

The yellow dragon didn't think she deserved to be thanked, but accepted it none the less. The conduit released her and she flew back down to the camp. She laid down on the blanket, but still could not sleep. She thought _her_ life was bad, and yet she barely knew Cole and knew that he had a life that was much worse.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next day, Cole and Lemon remained silent in each others presence, only speaking occasionally when they needed to. Spyro and Cynder did not seem to notice as they went along with the quiet demeanor that the other two put up.

Cleaning up the site, the dragons retrieved their blankets as Cole scouted the area, making absolutely sure no one was around. When everyone was ready, they began their hike again.

They all made their way through the forest, not meeting any enemies along the way. Eventually, they reached the edge of the woods to be greeted with another wide plain. Thinking they accidentally went in circles, the conduit took note of his surroundings. There was no Warfang, or anything recognizable.

'The forest must have been surrounded by these meadows,' the electric man thought.

Then he noticed the mountains. It was huge when compared to the one at Warfang, with tall peaks and steep cliffs.

"How am I supposed to get around that?" Cole asked in disbelief.

"Going around it would take to long, as would going over it," Spyro pondered aloud, looking around. Then he stopped his search on a certain fixture. "So I guess we're going through it."

"What do you mean?" Cynder asked, stepping beside him.

"There's a small mine up ahead, we can go through there and save some time," Spyro explained.

"Hm," Cole grunted, "Not to different to the sewers back home I suppose. All right, let's go."

The four made their way over to the mine shaft. The conduit, however, couldn't shake a strange feeling he was having.

'Why is there a mine in the middle of nowhere? And how do we know it's not littered with enemies,' Cole thought to himself.

When they finally reached the entrance to the mine, they all peered in hesitantly, almost expecting a monster to jump out from the darkness. The electric man allowed electricity to flow through his arm, illuminating the nearly black tunnel. Without a word, the conduit entered, not worried about anything that was present inside.

'We can handle ourselves,' he concluded in his head.

The three other dragons followed after him, until they were all inside. At that moment, the whole area began to shake, which put the four off balance.

"Earthquake!" Lemon announced.

"I always have the worst luck!" Cole shouted over the tremors. Before anyone could head back out, a load of boulders and rocks fell and blocked the exit. prevented from leaving, the heroes had no choice but to continue forward. The only light now was from Cole's arm arcing electricity. It gave a a faint blue with a permanent white that seemed to dance on the walls.

"Anyone else getting the feeling that this is a trap?" Cynder asked to the group.

"Before we even entered," Cole replied with a nod. The four began there unknown journey into the labyrinth that was the mountain.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Saying the ape leader was nervous was a understatment; Not only did he fail to attack Warfang, but he also lost his whole platoon to one measly creature. Currently, he was making his way down a dimly lite hallway. The walls were made of brick, and a few torches were the only decoration.

Minutes passed as he walked, until he came to a wooden door. The leader gulped, and, with shaky hands opened the door. The inside was a lot darker than the hallway, with the outlines of various furniture that could hardly be seen.

The ape leader took small steps into the room, hoping that the creature that resides in the room doesn't lash out. To his thanks, he wasn't immediately disemboweled, and instead heard a low growl, and then a dark voice spoke.

"What is it, Milson."

"M-Master," the ape known as Milson stammered, "I j-just wanted to i-inform you about the... r-recent events."

The other creature in the room remained silent, prompting Milson to continue. "Y-You see, there was this... t-thing that froze the entire army y-you sent and-"

"Enough with your rambling!" the creature shouted, making Milson jump with fright.

Seconds went by as neither occupants of the room spoke. Milson was sweating like crazy, nervous that his Master was angry enough to end his life.

"I already know," the creature said flatly and without care. "I know of this creature you speak of, his name is Cole MacGrath, and I assure you it's nothing to worry about."

"But sir-"

"Do you want your tongue ripped from your mouth?"

Milson clenched his mouth with his hands with a horrified expression; He really doesn't want that to happen.

"I am giving you a second chance, do not squander it."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir," Milson hastily thanked, then he asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Go to the Kingdom of Dragunov. Convince the king that Cole is a monster without mercy, have him side with us."

"Of course sir," Milson replied, bowing as he slowly stepped out of the room.

"One more thing, Milson." the creature announced, making the ape stop in his tracks.

"If you fail me again, there will be no more chances. Are we clear?"

"Y-Yes sir," Milson sputtered, saluting.

"Leave," the creature said with a forceful voice.

Milson carried out these orders right away, glad to escape with his life. Once he knew he was far enough way, the ape cracked his fingers as he grinded his teeth. He hoped someday he could make Cole pay, but until then he had to follow his masters wishes. With that settled in his head, Milson continued down the hall way, determined to complete his mission.

* * *

**So I thought that I should work on some of the romance in the story, which explains why there is no action. Fear not, there will be in the next chapter for sure. Especially since our heroes are in a freakin' mine. Also, I'm still looking for a beta reader! Anyone? Ugh.**


	5. Chapter 5: Underground

**Oh my gosh, I have awesome news. A new Infamous game was just announced called Infamous: Second Sun! Not sure about where the story takes place, but I can't wait to play it. Also, not sure if it'll conflict with my story, but I suppose that doesn't matter. Check it out on YouTube!**

* * *

**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 5: Underground**

Volteer could only stare in awe at the tunnel that the other Guardians were leading him through. Though he was still mad that they kept it a secret, his anger was quickly dashed at the sight of the beautiful infrastructure of the cave. It was rather roomy, with the walls made of smooth yet decaying marble, the roof of the cave dripped with the occasional drop of water.

"Amazing, it must have taken years just to carve this part," Volteer whispered in admiration. Terrador and Cyril remained quiet, letting the Electric Guardian gaze in wonder at the walling. Their travels lead them to an open room, with strange text lining carved into the opposite wall. The area was big enough for the three to stand side by side with room to spare.

"There, you see," Terrador spoke, trying to hide his excitement at being right, "The wording clearly says what we have told you."

Volteer remained silent, examining the text himself. After a few minutes, the Electric Guardian let out a defeated sigh. "I suppose you're right," he admitted, his head facing the dank ground.

Cyril couldn't help but smirk; He always liked to be proven right. Volteer looked back up at the text, reading it over to see if he had missed something. He turned around, and looked above the entrance they had entered through, and gasped. The other Guardians stared at him in confusion before following his gaze. Their eyes widened at the sight, as a whole new wall of text seemed to have been missed by them.

Volteer quickly read the words, careful not to translate wrong or miss something. "However, do not fear about the arrival of this horrid beast, for a hero somewhat the same will also arrive. Though his features resemble the monster that will rain destruction, he will have a completely different agenda. This creature will help the dragons themselves, saving others as well as keeping the peace. He may not be recognizable at first, but when the time comes, his true destiny in this land will appear."

The silence that followed was almost deafening, as everyone took in what they had just learned. After a few quiet seconds, Volteer shouted, "I knew it!"

Terrador and Cyril almost lost their balance at the Electric Guardian's outburst, with his yell being amplified by the cave's echo nature.

"What? What do you mean?" Cyril asked.

"Don't you see?" Volteer said excitedly, turning his head to them with a large grin. "This creature the ancestors indicate must be the Cole we know! It fits the description perfectly!"

"That may be true," Terrador put in, his features darkened, "But that still spawns the question as to who this monster is and when he will appear."

"That is correct, sadly" Cyril added with a frown.

However, Volteer's grin did not seem to waver as he exclaimed, "Did you not listen at all?! Our Cole will supposedly stop this beast and keep the peace in the Dragon Realms. All we have to do is keep Cole safe until the time when he is needed comes into the equation."

"Then maybe we shouldn't have sent him on a quest to the Kingdom of Dragunov," Cyril commented dryly.

Terrador shook his head, "That was unavoidable. If he doesn't apologize to Magma, then the King will think malicious things of Warfang, and therefore stop trade and maybe even start a war. However, we don't need to worry about Cole's well-being. Spyro and Cynder are with him, and they have saved the Dragon Realm before. If they can't protect that creature, then no one can."

The other Guardians nodded at Terrador's words of wisdom. It was true, and plus Lemon was with them as well. Though they didn't get to see her in combat, they believed her capable of fighting as well. With all things settled, and with their minds at ease to some extent, the three dragons left the tunnel back into the recognizable setting of Warfang.

"Now, we still need to discuss festivities for the celebration!" Cyril stated.

Volteer slapped his hand against his head in shock, "By the ancestors, I completely forgot about that."

"We also forgot to tell Spyro and the others about it as well," Terrador noted.

Volteer rubbed his chin, "Well, I suppose we can have it at the Kingdom of Dragunov's palace. That way, it can seal the deal with our peaceful apologize from Cole."

"And we can also notify the others while we're at it," Cyril expressed.

"Then it is settled," Terrador proclaimed with a smile, "The festival shall be held at the Kingdom. Spread the word, my friends. We must inform the populous of this change."

When the other Guardians agreed, the three spread their wings and took flight, each heading in a different direction.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole could only grumble to himself while traversing the mountain's underground tunnels. He may have had a little practice in these claustrophobic interiors from his time in the sewers in Empire City, but he still felt uneasy. The cave-in that occurred about five minutes ago left him wondering if someone wanted them here.

Looking over his shoulder, Cole can see the nervous dragons behind him. Cynder's eyes darted at the slightest noises, as if she had a bad experience in caves before hand. Spyro remained calm, but also vigilant while scanning for any threat. Lemon, who trailed behind the group, was weary of an unseen force as well.

Earlier, Cole had asked if Spyro could use his Earth powers to make an exit. The purple dragon had declined, saying that it would probably make the mountain side more unstable, making it worse. Plus, a strange force was continuously blocking the entrance, wanting the group to remain within. Facing forward again, his hand held high with electricity arcing around it, Cole quickened his pace, wanting to get out as soon as possible.

"How far does this go?" Lemon asked, causing a slight echo to answer.

"Cool, echos!" Spyro stated childishly, causing Cole to chuckle under his breath.

Cynder, still quite nervous, began to perk up a bit by the fun nature of Spyro. She began to reassure herself that Spyro can protect her. Still, the lingering effect of their adventures in underground places caused her to be cautious.

They continued their trek for quite a while, how long was unknown since they couldn't see the sun to determine the time. Cole could tell that up ahead there was a lot of open space. As they approached, the dragons could see it as well, as Cynder commented, "It looks like a large area is up ahead."

The conduit only grunted in agreement, and when they reached the area itself, the electric man had to catch himself before he fell to his doom. The large empty expanse that Cynder had pointed out was a large underground ravine. It was pitch black besides Cole's supplemented light, and everyone could barely make out the other side.

"Great, now what do we do?" Cole mumbled.

"Well," Spyro spoke up, causing the conduit to turn towards him, "Cynder, Lemon, and I can fly. You, on the other hand, have to find another way."

The electric man nodded, and walked back to the edge. He crouched down, and peered into the dark pit. Using his own lighting, Cole searched for any ledges or platforms he can use to climb around the ravine. Finally, the light landed on a few ledges leading to his left of the ravine.

He turned back to the group, "I found my way through this place, you guys scout ahead. Look for an exit, and I'll meet you there."

Spyro and Cynder nodded in acknowledgement, but Lemon seemed perplexed by something. "How will you find us again? We don't have any way of communicating with each other."

Cole gave a confident smile, and replied, "I can use my powers to find you guys way before you can find me. Don't worry about it."

Lemon still seemed troubled, and Cole knew he had to assure her further. He walked over to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I promise, I'll be fine. You just worry about the others."

Lemon sighed, and nodded; Cole was starting to grow on her, even though she could hardly admit it. Just something about him made her feel... safe, or content. Like nothing bad will happen with him around, and even if something bad does happen, she knew that Cole could handle it.

The conduit went over to the ridge yet again, and lowered himself to the first hand-hold. As he began to climb along the walls, the other three dragons took flight, and headed into the darkness, and out of sight. Cole then remembered that he was their source of light, but shrugged, figuring that they can find or make another one.

'Besides,' the conduit thought, looking down the ravine. 'I have bigger worries.'

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The three dragons flew through the large underground canyon, with Spyro's Electricity breath leading the way. They all looked around and hoped to find an exit fast, not wanting to stay too long in unknown territory. As minutes passed, they all began to think that there might not be another exit. However, Spyro spotted a hint of light up ahead and flew up to it. It was short tunnel right up next to the roof of the huge cavern, and with light faintly making its way in through a bunch of rocks and pebbles.

He landed, which was followed by Cynder and Lemon, and walked up to the exit. With only a hint of hesitation, Spyro, using his earth abilities, easily shoved the rocks out of the way, showing the area behind it. Outside was just as dark as it was inside, the moonlight doing little to illuminate the area.

"We must have been traveling for the whole day," Cynder observed, taking the first steps outside.

"I hope we aren't falling behind with our travels," Lemon whispered, more to herself than the others.

The purple dragon remained silent, wondering the same thing. He shook his head, it doesn't matter right now. Turning to the cave, and taking a seat, Spyro gazed into the tunnel intently, his eyes narrowing slightly. He remained in that spot for some time, ignoring everything else. That is, until he felt a paw rest on his shoulder, nearly making him jump.

Swiveling his head, the purple dragon saw that it was Cynder, looking quite concerned. "Spyro," she said slowly and solemnly, "Cole won't come right away. We just... have to wait."

Spyro stared at her emerald eyes, enjoying the way they twinkle in the light. Closing his eyes, he gave a heavy sigh, "I know. I just wish he wouldn't put himself into these situations all the time."

Cynder gave a small chuckle, "But then it wouldn't be the Cole we know."

Spyro smiled and nuzzled Cynder's neck, who closed her eyes and reciprocated.

Not to far away, under a pine tree, Lemon was laying down thinking about her own love life yet again. However, she cut herself short upon thinking of the conduit. She remembered what he had told her, about his previous girlfriend, Trish. Lemon's heart felt heavy as she also recalled not telling Cole about her own life.

She looked above the trees at the nearly full moon that hovered in the sky. Cole was still in the treacherous cavern and she was just lounging around on the surface. Lemon could feel tears brimming at the edge of her eyes; Now she felt guilty about it. With a shaky sigh, she rested her head on the smooth grass.

'The first chance I get,' the yellow dragon promised herself, 'I'm going to tell him _everything_.'

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

With the electric man himself, he was positively swearing at each minor slip. The damp walls were aiding against him, as it not only made him lose his grip occasionally, but also give a slight painful tingle. Having electric powers can suck sometimes.

As he worked his way through, his mind wandered to previous efforts in dark, underground places. Mostly the sewers in Empire City, but there was also the time when he had to crawl through Sasha's hideout. Just the thought of that crazy conduit ran a shiver down his back; He was glad she was gone.

Come to think about it, Alden was crazy as well, but at least he stayed on dry land, more or less. The last fight with him was on a bridge that nearly crashed down to the sea below. Cole shook his head, why was he thinking about enemies that were long gone when he was in a tight situation? He couldn't figure it out, but didn't dwell on the thought.

Suddenly, a foothold broke off, almost making him tumble to his doom. Luckily, his hands were still firmly holding on to the rocks. He placed his slipped foot on another foothold with a sigh. Looking down, the conduit was convinced that he could survive the fall, but he didn't want to tempt fate.

At that moment, another earthquake came around, shaking the area with great force. Cole held tight again, cursing his luck. When the tremors stopped, he gave another sigh of relief, but that moment of security was thrown in the air as a boulder came crashing down, heading straight for Cole.

Before the conduit could jump away, the boulder hit his hand holds, ripping his hands away, and causing him to fall all the way down. Panic was his first reaction, but it didn't hold for very long as his back finally collided with the ground. His sling bag took most of the force, but Cole still coughed a few times as the air was nearly knocked out of him.

"Aw, Karma really is a bitch," he mumbled to himself, slowly standing back up, "Course, I don't know what I did to deserve that." Using his electricity, Cole could easily light the bottom section of the ravine. He was surprised at how wide it was, nearly ten feet in width, and also at the compounds on the ground.

Kneeling down, the conduit slid his fingers through the substance, rubbing some of it. "Sand?" he questioned to no one, "Why is sand here? I may not be an expert, but I don't think this should be here."

A loud, disgusting scream shook him from his musings, as he looked around for the origin, standing back up again. Raising his illuminated arm above his head, the electric man investigated the area. He could sense something approaching from somewhere from the trench that the ravine provided at its base. Now that time has passed, _many_ things were headed his way.

Cole squinted his eyes to see better, but it did little difference as he felt a multitude of feet coming his way. Tensing up, he prepared himself for whatever was coming his way. A short green creature suddenly jumped from the shadows headed straight for Cole's head. With quick reflexes, the conduit punched the thing down to the ground with electricity, and the creature hit the ground with a horrid squeak.

A brisk glance at the monster was enough for Cole to get its features. The monster was short, about three feet tall, with putrid, slimy, green skin. Its ears were pointed, and it had a long hooked nose. The clothes were brown mixed with black, and it wore no shoes. The only weapon it held within its grotestic hands was a strange dagger. The closest resemblance for Cole to compare it to would be a goblin from the movies.

The electric dragon couldn't examine the thing further, nor did he really want to, when many more of the monsters began leaping at him just out of his sight. Taking out his amp, Cole swatted them away like bugs and they would crack their bones against the hard walls. Soon, the goblin force began to overwhelm him, and he was starting to back pedal slightly.

Grinding his teeth, Cole used an electric blast to push them away, but all it gave him was a break from the onslaught, as they quickly came running back. The conduit could feel the electricity drain from himself as he repeated it, only getting the same results. After a while, he decided to just run like hell and hope for the best, so he did in the opposite direction of the hoard.

If the area wasn't so tightly spaced, the conduit would have gladly whipped out an Ionic Vortex or Freeze. For the time being, however, that was out of the question. As he ran, he could hear screams and hollers from the goblins behind him. The conduit hoped that he wouldn't meet an untimely, and disgusting, end, and also hoped that the goblins would get off his damn back.

As if the Earth itself was listening, a wall of rock slammed right behind Cole, crushing an unsuspecting goblin, and stopping the group of monstrosities in their tracks. Stopping, Cole put his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath, while also staring at the large wall that came out of no where.

"Hurry!" shouted a male voice beside him. Quickly turning his head, Cole can see a new tunnel form before his eyes. He wanted to ask what was happening, but didn't know really _who_ to ask.

"Quickly! Before they find away past the wall!" the voice said again, more desperate than before. Without stopping to think of the repercussions, the electric man dashed into the tunnel that presented to him, his arm alit with electricity. As soon as he was in the tunnel, the entrance closed shut with more rock. It was here that the conduit heard a crash, as the previous erected wall crumbled from the fury of the goblins.

Luckily, they didn't see him enter the other tunnel, and ran right past, the sounds of their shouts and shrieks dying away slowly. Releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding, Cole looked down the tunnel. His rescuer made no move to reveal himself, so the conduit took it in his own hands and walked down the tunnel.

The electric man could see light at the end of the tunnel; It was flickering and brilliant orange, like a fire. When Cole arrived, he flinched at what was presented. He definitely wasn't expecting anything like this.

The room was carved to be like a box; The walls were smooth and flat with torches hanging on them. There was many tables made of marble with an assortment of tools, beakers, and other scientific stuff. However, what the most surprising subject in the place was that there was another person here as well.

It was another dragon, facing away from Cole, looking down what appeared to be a microscope. His scales were forest green, with two brown horns jutting up on his head. The conduit couldn't help but stare at him for awhile. Why would a dragon live in this mountain? In an abandoned mine no less.

"Uh, who are you?" Cole asked with furrowed brows.

The dragon visibly jumped, and hastily fumbled with the beakers containing certain liquids, like he was about to lose them. He quickly turned around, showing himself completely. His underbelly was also brown, as was his wing membranes.

"Who are you?!" he asked back.

"That's what I just said," Cole replied, crossing his arms.

"Wait, were you that human that I just saved?" the dragon questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I would assume so," the conduit answered, making another sweep of the room before focusing on the dragon again.

"Aw! That's right! I saved you from the goblins! Nasty bit of work they are. Always stealing anything that's shiny. They probably liked that fancy metal doodad on your back."

Cole made a quick glance at his Amp at the mention of it. It did have a lustrous look to it, but it was hardly valuable. To anybody else anyway, to the conduit, it was as important as his right arm.

Turning back to face the dragon, Cole recoiled when said dragon was up in his face, examining him with narrowed eyes; He was tall as the conduit himself.

"What did you say your name was again?" he asked, walking around the electric man, his eyes never leaving Cole.

"I didn't, but it's Cole. Cole MacGrath," the conduit replied, keeping his anger at bay, but was becoming irritated.

"I see, that rings a bell for some reason," the dragon commented, circling Cole again.

"Are you going to introduce yourself?" Cole questioned annoyingly as the dragon stopped in front of Cole.

"Uranium. Earth dragon. Scientist with short-term memory loss," the dragon, known as Uranium, stated flatly.

"Uranium? Where did you get that?" Cole asked in disbelief.

Uranium put a claw to his chin in thought, before saying, "I don't remember."

The conduit rolled his eyes, thinking, 'Right, short-term memory loss.'

The green dragon made his way back to one of the tables, studying the beakers filled with a colorful material. "So," Cole said, looking around the room nonchalantly, "why are you down here in this mountain."

"Scientific purposes. Forgot what for, but know that I need to study anything that relates to electricity inside of the Earth."

"Electricity?" Cole repeated in surprise, "How does any rock have electricity?"

"Unknown, which is why I'm searching for some. Remember someone telling me to do this, but can't recall who."

"Well that's informative," The conduit said sarcastically, throwing his arms in the air for emphasize "So what do we do now?"

"I don't know what you're going to do, but I'm staying here," Uranium declared, still analyzing the beakers. Cole thought about it for a second. He didn't really owe the dragon anything. Uranium may have been able to get Cole out of a tight spot, but the dragon either forgot or didn't care to be repaid.

Shrugging, Cole said, "Alright, I get it, you want to stay here... but I still need a way out."

Uranium turned to face him with shock, "I forgot that you can't get through rocks like I can."

"Since when could I ever do that?" the conduit commented, gesturing to the green dragon.

"Irrelevant, I shall assist you out of the mountain, then come back here," Uranium expressed, walking down the tunnel Cole came from.

The electric man rolled his eyes with a smirk and followed after him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Why the hell did you do that?!" Cole shouted, as he and Uranium ran through another tunnel. The goblins were hot on their tails, chasing them through the network of caves inside the mountain.

"I thought it was a good idea at the time," the green dragon defended, panting slightly from the exercise.

"To shout 'echo' just to listen to your echo?!" the conduit snapped, taking a quick left turn with Uranium.

"You have to admit, it was cool," the green dragon replied, somehow smiling despite the situation. The electric man growled, making Uranium shut up for the time being. Cole was beginning to worry, as they have taken many turns without taking note of which way was which. They were probably a long way from where they were before.

"Uh, Cole, we have a problem!" Uranium pointed out, which the conduit saw was a dead end Cursing under his breath, the electric man turned around quickly and shot out another electric blast at the pursuing goblins.

"Look for a way out! I'll hold them off!" Cole exclaimed, taking out his Amp. Uranium nodded furiously before facing the rock wall again, searching for an exit. The conduit smacked any goblin that got to close, and if they rushed him at once, he sent out another electric blast to keep them away. He knew that he couldn't hold them off forever, but this would at least keep them off their backs until Uranium found some way out.

"Cole, I believe I've found away out of our predicament!" the green dragon called from behind the conduit.

"Make another of your walls to buy us time!" Cole instructed, which Uranium obliged instantly. The electric man could still hear the goblins work frantically to destroy the wall, but he ignored it as he rapidly made his way to Uranium.

"What do you got?" the conduit questioned hastily.

Uranium simply pointed up with a claw, and Cole looked up to see a large shaft leading who knows where. "This mine shaft shall take us away from the goblins, and maybe even find us our exit. Of course, I'm not entirely sure-"

"We don't have time to think about it!" Cole interrupted, "Fly ahead, I'll follow!"

Uranium spread his wings and flew straight up into the darkness. The electric man began his ascent to the top, grabbing different outcropping rocks to climb as fast as possible. Down below, the conduit could hear a crash as the rock wall crumbled. The goblins, without hesitation, also began scaling the rock wall, following Cole. The electric man didn't have time to stare at the approaching enemies as he continued his own ascent.

At last he reached a ledge that had another tunnel, which he climbed into and took off, thinking that Uranium had done the same earlier. Looking back without stopping, Cole could just barely make out the goblins still hot on his trail. Turning back to his front, however, held some hope.

A light, unlike the one he saw earlier that lead him to Uranium, was fast approaching as the conduit ran with all his might.

'That must be the exit,' Cole concluded in his head, 'I hope no one missed me _too _much.'

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Lemon could only stare into the tunnel she, Spyro, and Cynder had exited from an hour ago. She was becoming increasingly more worried about Cole as time dragged on. He would have found this passage out a long time ago, something must be holding him back.

As she laid there, her perception never faltering, she could only miss the kind and heroic nature of Cole. The more she thought about it, the more she began to conflict internally. She had feelings for him, but couldn't understand them entirely. She liked him, but perhaps more than that? She couldn't figure it out.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she began to hear running coming from the cave. She stood up from her spot and strained her eyes to see through the dark interior.

"Cole?" she assumed, catching the attention of Spyro and Cynder. However, the more she listened the more she was uncertain. The footsteps sounded like four feet instead of two, and they didn't sound like the conduit's usual shoes.

Spyro and Cynder walked to either side of Lemon, studying the passage entrance as well. It was at that moment when a green dragon popped out from the tunnel and tripped, falling face first in the dirt. The trio could only stare at him with confusion.

The dragon picked himself up, and looked up at the three other dragons. "Hello, my fellow dragons, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked politely, perplexing Spyro, Cynder, and Lemon even further.

"Uh, who are you?" Spyro asked.

"Uranium. Earth dragon. Scientist with short-term memory loss," the dragon, known as Uranium, stated flatly.

"Have you seen someone named Cole?" Lemon questioned suddenly.

"Cole, that rings a bell for some reason," Uranium commented, rubbing his chin with a claw.

"So you have seen him?" Cynder pestered.

"I don't remember," he admitted flatly.

'Right,' the trio thought to themselves, 'short-term memory loss.'

"Hey!" someone shouted from inside the cavern, making Uranium jump and the other three look over his shoulder.

Cole burst from the darkness, panting and covered in dirt and dust. "Get back, get back!" he ordered, which everyone followed without hesitation. The conduit turned and faced the top of the entrance, and shot an electric rocket at it, blasting a few boulders and covering the entrance.

The electric man gave a heavy sigh of relief, and sat down to catch his breath. Lemon couldn't help but hug Cole, surprising him immensely. "I... didn't think you missed me that much," the conduit spoke through his heavy breathing.

Lemon realized what she was doing and broke her hug, blushing slightly. "S-Sorry, I just... uh..." she stammered.

"It's fine," Cole said, as he stood back up.

"Glad you could make it, Cole," Spyro said, walking up to him.

The conduit chuckled, "You didn't think a cave could hold me back did you?"

"I did for a while, then I remembered that this was Cole MacGrath we're talking about," the purple dragon joked.

Cole gave a small laugh as Cynder walked up beside Spyro. "Good you see you again, Cole," she expressed with a smile.

"Same here," Cole said, returning the smile.

"Ah! Cole! Now I remember you!" Uranium spoke up, comprehension plastered on his face.

The conduit face palmed, groaning slightly, "That memory loss of his is going to get annoying real fast."

"Wait, you know this guy?" Spyro asked, pointing to Uranium.

"Yeah, he helped me get our of the cave alive," Cole explained as the green dragon waved meekly, "He also nearly got me killed. Still, he doesn't mean any harm."

Cynder walked up to him, and said, "Nice to meet you, Uranium, I'm Cynder."

"A pleasure, Ms. Cynder," Uranium acknowledged, bowing slightly. The black dragoness was pretty bewildered.

"You've never heard of me?" she asked, pointing to herself.

"Never in my life," Uranium admitted, surprising the whole group except for Cole.

Noticing their shocked expressions, the conduit asked, "Why are you guys surprised? Not everyone can know who you guys are. Plus, he lived in a cave for who knows how long."

"For my whole life, as a matter of fact," Uranium answered. That response really shocked everyone.

"Your whole life?!" Lemon whispered.

"My whole life," the green dragon repeated with a nod.

"But why!?" Spyro asked. This caused Uranium to gaze to the ground in deep thought, a hint of sadness washed over his face.

"To be honest with you," he said quietly, "I'm not really sure myself. All I can remember is someone telling me to find out about electricity inside of rocks and putting me inside that mountain."

The group remained quiet after that, not sure how to respond. Cole crossed his arms, his eyes closed. Uranium had mentioned that he had heard his name before. A coincidence? Not likely, as these dragons don't have human names. Someone must have told Uranium about the conduit somewhere down the line. The unanswered questions were beginning to climb, and Cole couldn't answer one of them.

Shaking his head, the conduit spoke up, "It doesn't matter right now. We still have a job to do at the Kingdom of Dragunov. Uranium " saying his name, Uranium looked up to Cole, "are you coming with us?"

"As much as I would love to get into more adventures," the green dragon replied dryly, "I still have my own job to do."

"Whoever told you to do that is not right," Cole scolded, "Telling a kid to study rocks his whole life is never right."

Uranium thought about Cole's words. The conduit, wanting to get his message across, walked up to Uranium and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll help you through this, I can promise you that."

Uranium stared at Cole for a while until he began to nod. "I suppose you're right," the green dragon admitted slowly, "Besides, you destroyed the only way into the mountain."

The electric man laughed and apologized, and Uranium simply waved it off. "So are we ready to go?" Spyro asked the group, who all nodded in response.

As they began to walk, Uranium said, "I wonder how much the world has changed? Maybe I can research that! Wait, why would I do that? Because it's fun? Yes, that must be it. Hey, Cole were we being chased by goblins? I can't remember if we were or not?"

Rubbing his forehead, the conduit commented, "this is going to be a long walk."

* * *

**Okay, everyone, seriously, I need someone to be a beta reader for this story. I want to make this the best it can be. Also, I would like to request that you leave a very thought out review about this story and where it's going. I need to make sure that this story is what you like! Thanks again for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6: Down on its Luck

**Alright, I'm an idiot and here's why. I wrote in my stories that Spyro was a tall as Cole himself, but that was a mistake. After looking at some pictures, it's a better assumption to think that Spyro is up to Cole's belly or perhaps more. So, with extreme apologies, I make it official that Spyro is no longer as tall as Cole. I'm deeply sorry for any inconveniences that may occur. All that I can ask is for your forgiveness. I'm make sure to correct previous chapters of this mistake some time in the future.**

* * *

**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 6: Down on its Luck**

The journey to the Kingdom of Dragunov was slightly more difficult with their new companion, Uranium. Not only would he never stop talking, but he gobbled their food like there was no tomorrow. In only a matter of days, the green dragon had reduced their supplies to a bare minimum. The group hoped that a town or city was nearby to replenish their stock before they ran out.

Currently, the time was a little after noon, and the dragons and human found themselves in a large barren wasteland-like place. Cole couldn't help but compare the place to a savanna in his own world, as the grass had a golden glow, and the occasional tree looked exactly like the ones in the pictures.

Everyone was scanning the horizon, slightly desperate to find some kind of shelter. Everyone but Uranium, as usual, who was talking about random stuff yet again.

"This area is quite nice: the hot sun, the few trees, the crunchy grass. Wouldn't mind a fan or two, but one can't complain. At least not too much. After all, optimism is what I hold. Well, technically, I hold nothing, these paws don't allow that. Maybe Cole can hold it? Wait, optimism is an idea, so he can't technically-"

Giving a loud groan, Cole turned to face Uranium, and said in a threatening tone, "Uranium, just shut up for one minute or I swear you won't be able to talk again."

The green dragon remained silent, but Cole figured he got the gist of it. With a sigh, the conduit faced forward again and continued walking. After only 15 seconds, Uranium spoke again, "I think I see something."

"Uranium!" Cole shouted, getting in the dragon's face, "Just shut up..." what the dragon had said had caught up with Cole's brain. "Wait, what?"

Uranium pointed to a small town only a few miles away with a smug smile. Cole stared at the settlement, as did the other dragons, wondering how they didn't see it before. Giving an irritated exhalation, the conduit began walking in that direction, trying very hard not to smack the smile off of Uranium's face.

It took a while, but at last they had made it to some form of civilization. However, upon entering the town, the group knew something wasn't right. All the citizens looked distressed or depressed, and the place felt grey and in dismay. The buildings looked like they were falling apart, and the stone road had multiple weeds sprouting from it.

"What happened here?" Lemon asked to no one in particular.

Spyro shook his head, "I can't say, but from the looks perhaps economic problems."

"I've seen this before," Cole mumbled suddenly, causing all eyes to focus on him. "Not exactly like this, but it's pretty close. Back in my home in Empire City, when the city was quarantined. It looks almost like this."

Cynder saw a pale blue dragon, and approached him without his notice. "Excuse me?" the black dragoness called out, making the dragon jump in surprise and cower on the ground, shaking.

"P-Please!" He begged, "I don't have anything else!"

"What are you talking about?" Cynder asked, nervous at the dragon's behavior.

The dragon didn't answer, but slowly turned around to stare at the group. The pale blue dragon gave a small sigh, and stood back up. "I- I'm sorry," he stammered, "I'm a l- little on edge."

"We can tell," Cole commented, "What's got you all worked up?"

The pale blue dragon gawked at the human before him, backing away carefully. "W-What are you?!" he demanded, "we already have enough troubles as it is! We don't need a monster to come ravage this town!"

"Calm down," Lemon defended, taking steady steps to the dragon, "he's not going to hurt you, we just want to know what's going on. What's your name?"

The dragon hesitated before rattling, "C- Colmar."

"Colmar," the yellow dragoness started, "I promise nothing bad will happen to you. I'm Lemon, and this is Spyro, Cynder, Uranium, and Cole." She gestured to each person. "We're on our way to the Kingdom of Dragunov, and we need supplies for the trip. Can you help us?"

Colmar gave a single nod, and pointed to a nearby building, "You can get what you need here."

Spyro thought for a second and spoke, "Do you know where we can get a map of the kingdom?"

The pale blue dragon pointed over to a further off building, and the purple dragon nodded in acknowledgement. Lemon thanked the poor dragon, and he took off, looking to get away from them quickly.

"I like him," Uranium stated, and Cole face palmed.

"Alright," Spyro exclaimed, gaining everyone's attention. "We should split up. Cynder and I can get the items we need."

Lemon nodded, "Uranium and I can see if a map is available of the area."

"Oh!" the green dragon yelled in joy, "I love maps!"

"I'll find out what I can," Cole said, earning nods from the dragons. After which, everyone ran to their destination, except for Uranium who circled around.

"Where am I going again?" he asked to nobody.

Lemon rushed back, grasped his tail in her mouth, and dragged him to the building that supposedly held maps. The green dragon didn't seem to care as he went on one of his rants yet again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole rushed to a nearby building and began climbing it, jumping from ledge to ledge expertly. Though nearly all the buildings were only two stories high, the conduit felt in his realm whenever he climbed anything. Even the rocky underground ravine back at the mountain made the electric man nostalgic.

When he clamored onto the top, Cole bent down on one knee and examined the town. It was somewhat small, with at least 10 buildings in width and length. In the direct center of the settlement sat a lone intersection. The more the conduit looked, the more he felt it was a ghost town; At least in Empire City you couldn't go 10 feet without bumping into someone.

The town was practically deserted; Hardly anyone on the streets, and those that were had crestfallen expressions. Knowing what to look for to get answers, Cole continued his scan of the town, putting a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. Then he spotted what he was looking for: a bar.

The conduit learned from experience before the blast that if you wanted answers to anything local, head to the bar. Somebody always has something on someone there. The bar itself reminded Cole of old western films he used to watch with Zeke. The town looked Victorian at best, but this one bar held that feature of being a western saloon.

Smiling at spotting his destination, Cole jumped off from his perch and landed on the dusty, cobblestone road. Playing it casual, the conduit walked over to the site, not wanting to draw unwanted attention. As he approached the entrance, he had to suppress a chuckle at the door. It looked just like the ones in the movies. Even old-timey piano music could be heard in the background.

Pushing it open, he was greeted with utter silence, as whoever was playing the piano took a glance to the door. And when he stopped, everyone also halted in whatever they were doing to stare at the new comer. Cole kept a hard face, meeting each and every person who was looking at him. The room was full of dragons and what appeared to be leopard people. The room held that western design all the way to the interior, even the giant mirror behind the counter. The conduit hoped his entry wouldn't come with repercussions.

After a few seconds, the piano player resumed his music, and everyone went back to there own business. The conduit gave a soft sigh to the drinkers not paying him mind; Strange new creatures must have been common place here. Seeing the counter to his left, Cole walked to the pillow adjoining it, as that was the only seats in the area, and took a seat where a bartender was filling a couple of mugs. The bartender was an earth dragon, with dark green, nearly black, scales. The dragon gave him a once over, waited for the order.

Getting the idea, Cole stated, "Give me the lightest stuff you have."

The bartender didn't question the order, and only nodded to the request, and headed off to delivery the filled drinks to the other customers first. Though Cole would have loved to just get drunk, now was definitely not the time. What with his friends nearby and the possibility of danger in an unknown place.

The bartender returned and placed the mug in front of the conduit, who gave a grateful nod. When the dragon left, Cole studied the glass' contents. It was light purple with pinkish bubbles foaming at the top. He didn't really care what he was drinking, just so long as it looked like he was keeping to himself so he could eavesdrop. Still, the conduit took a quick sip from his drink and sputtered slightly at the liquid.

The electric man was expecting a grape or tangy flavor, instead, it tasted a bit like wine. The last time the conduit had wine was when he took Trish to a fancy restaurants, he didn't like the taste then either. Plus, the thought of Trish made a small hole in the conduit. Taking a long exhale, Cole put the drink back down on the counter, and stared at the drink.

"So when do you expect the next raid to come?" asked a dragon at a table behind Cole, addressing to another dragon adjoining him.

"How am I supposed to know?" shot back the other dragon, "I don't work for 'em, nor will I ever. Those punks took my mate last time. Never going to reason with those people again. Next time, they're getting roasted alive."

"Sorry, jeez, didn't know about Jewel being taken. I lost my brother a few days ago, I know how it is."

"Ancestors know everyone does," mumbled the dragon.

"What do you think they do with the captured people at Usin Hill anyway?"

The dragon grumbled, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright, alright," the other dragon trailed off.

The conversation got Cole's brain working fast, contemplating everything he heard. People were being taken? Was it for slavery, or are these raiders cannibals? Usin Hill was also mentioned, it must be where these kidnappers live. At least some of the puzzle was coming together now, but there was still questions to be answered. The conduit got up to leave, and unconsciously reached into his pocket to pay for the drink and froze.

His money doesn't work here, the Dragon Realms has its own set of currency. Cursing to himself, Cole sat back down, getting comfy. He could just leave, but he didn't want the townsfolk on his back, especially when the tension was high here. The best solution was just to wait for Spyro or the others to find him and pay the bill. Until then, he was basically trapped here. Though it wasn't all bad; he could still listen in for some unanswered questions.

At that moment, the doors burst open from the outside, causing everyone, except for the conduit, to freeze and stare at the arrivals. However, unlike when Cole entered, the dragons and other creatures were quenched in fear. They dared not even move an inch as their wide eyes contemplated the people who entered.

The electric man made a quick glance to see what the commotion was about, and didn't seem all that impressed. It was a black scaled dragon, with a blue underbelly and wing membranes. He had a large scare over his left eye, making the eye completely white in blindness. The conduit, thinking he saw enough, glared at his drink again. The newcomer was not alone, as two equally black dragons followed behind the former, but were smaller in comparison.

The scarred dragon walked over to the bar and took a seat to the right of Cole, who still ignored him, even though the dragon was probably a good foot taller. The newcomer did the same, and called the bartender over. The dark green dragon came over, rather slower then last time.

"Get me the usual, and it had better be prepared right this time," the dark-scaled dragon demanded with a raspy and scratchy voice.

The bartender nodded quickly, and got the glass and bottle. The dark green dragon poured a hefty amount of the contents into the glass, and gave it to the scarred dragon. The dragon downed the drink in seconds, and placed it back on the counter, giving a content sigh, before ordering another refill.

It was then that the scarred dragon glanced towards Cole, regarding the human intently. The conduit pretended he wasn't being studied, and kept his eyes on his drink. Though the electric man could feel the dragon's eyes bore into his head, Cole ignored him; he didn't want to cause trouble with anyone right now.

"What are you, huh?" the scarred dragon questioned, narrowing his eyes, "Some sort of ugly ape?"

Cole spared a sideways glance before saying, "Just lay off before you do something you'll regret."

The dragon gave a sneer before knocking down Cole's drink, spilling the contents all over the counter. The conduit didn't react to the gesture, nor did he even flinch, still holding his compose expression.

"I'm Cicatrix," the dragon introduced menacingly, pointing to himself, "and if I were you, I'd be treating myself with more respect."

The electric man stayed silent for a time, contemplating his next move. Eventually, he stood up, and backed away from Cicatrix while still facing him. "Respect is earned," Cole informed, "not given."

"Why have respect when you can run things with fear," Cicatrix responded with a wide grin, "With fear, everything is given to you, and no one opposes you. Why do things the hard way, hmm?"

Cole clenched his teeth at the dragon's arrogance, but kept himself in check. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he replied, "Then you truly have nothing. What's the point of power if you can't use it for the greater good?"

Cicatrix laughed for a few seconds, "Greater good? Is that what heroes stand for? What's the point in that if everything changes in only a few years? Surely a dragon would show the world what he can do and prove that he can do what he wants when he wants."

"That's the thing," Cole shot back, "I'm not a dragon. And it's not about what you can prove to get what you want, it's about the ideals that pass down, to continue the legacy a person holds."

At finishing these words, Cole looked down in deep wonder. Had he left his own ideals back on Earth? He proved that with any great amount of power, people can make a difference. And if they prove the same thing in some great fashion, then that can go down in history for everyone to look back to.

The conduit was drawn back to the present when he heard a yelp of angst. Cicatrix had grabbed the bartender by the neck and slammed him down on the counter, putting a claw next to his throat. "So what you're saying," the black dragon mocked, "is that if I kill this dragon, then I pass down a legacy of death and destruction?"

He put his claw against the bartender's throat, drawing a few drops of blood. "Let's test it, shall we?"

"Let, him, _go_," Cole said quietly, yet sternly. Though he had only just met him, Cicatrix was feeling a strange vibe in the air, like the air was working against him in a way. Brushing it off as a disturbance of some sort, he pressed his claw even harder against the throat he held. Not enough to kill him, but enough that more blood was being drawn out.

"Last chance," the conduit exclaimed, pointing a finger at the black dragon "let him go, or-"

Unfortunately, Cicatrix ignored the threat, and sliced the dragon's throat. As the bartender, gasped for breath while his own blood leaked heavily from his throat, Cole made a dash for the black dragon. In the blink of an eye, Cole had taken out his Amp, and had hit the black dragon from the side, sending him flying until he crashed into the wooden wall opposite the entrance.

Thinking fast, Cole quickly charged his arms up, and placed them against the dragon's chest. A small burst of electricity swept through the dragon, and his throat began to heal exponentially. Before the conduit could see if the dragon would live, another dragon slammed into his side, sending them both through the wall of the bar, and into the street.

Positioning his feet, the conduit used them to roughly push the dragon aside. When he stood back up again, Cole saw that it was one of dragons that followed Cicatrix. In time, the dragon himself appeared, emerging from the door leading into the bar. He had a few scratches here and there, but all in all fine.

"I haven't taken an attack like that in ages," he spoke with a scowl, but his sneer returned again, "It's refreshing once in a while. Do you want to know what I did to the last dragon who opposed me?"

Cole remained silent, and the two began to circle each other, waiting for the other to attack first. "I dragged him to his family," the black dragon explained, "and made him watch as I killed each member. His wife, children; I'll killed them all, slowly. Then when he couldn't take the pain anymore, I sunk my claws right into his gut, and watched him squirm as the very life faded from him."

The conduit was barely restraining himself while listening, clenching his fists in anger. Never has he met someone who would do such a thing, kill just to prove a point. Everyone he has fought before at least had a reason, though not very good ones, to show why they kill. Cicatrix, on the other hand, does it because he can.

Furrowing his brow deeply, Cole shouted, "You think you can just do something like that and get away with it?! If I learned anything in my life, it's that karma will always get to you. And now..."

The electric man arced a large amount of electricity through his arms, "Now I put you in your place."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Spyro and Cynder had just finished getting supplies, and left the store onto the street. They knew they were pretty close to the Kingdom of Dragunov, but they still had a way to go. They bought what they thought was appropriate and decided to meet up with Lemon and Uranium.

Strolling down the street, Spyro looked over to Cynder and saw her slightly saddened expression. Having the bought materials on his back left Spyro open to ask what was wrong with her, so he did.

Cynder recoiled a little at being addressed suddenly, and answered, "I... well, Lemon has been... distant lately."

Spyro raised a brow, "Distant? How so?"

"She doesn't eat as often as she should, and she doesn't talk as much either," Cynder replied with a shake of her head. "She must have something on her mind."

"Maybe it's this trip," Spyro suggested.

Cynder thought about it for a second, but shook here head, "No, she would have told me. It has to be something emotional, something she doesn't feel comfortable talking about in the open."

Spyro stared ahead, "Well, we can't just walk up and ask her. I mean, that's a bit personal, don't you think?"

The black dragoness sighed and nodded, and the rest of the walk was doused in silence. When they finally arrived at the store that held maps, they saw the door burst open and Uranium fly out, landing painfully on his head.

"And stay out!" yelled an angry red dragon, while Lemon made her way past him to her friends.

"What was that about?" Spyro asked Lemon, but Uranium sat up suddenly to answer.

"Some dragons just can not take advice about personal hygiene," Uranium said.

Lemon rolled her eyes, "I did tell you to knock it off."

"Well, maybe you should've told me sooner," the green dragon responded, picking himself up.

"So did you get a map?" Spyro inquired, changing the subject.

Lemon nodded, and reached into her pack with her head, retrieving a map with her mouth. She placed it on the ground, facing Spyro and Cynder, and pointed to a point on the map.

"This is where we need to go: the Kingdom of Dragunov," she told, then she pointed to another area a few inches away, "and this is where we are: Battleclaw."

"Great," Cynder approved, "now we know which way to go."

Spyro smiled, and looked toward each of his friends, "Now we have to find Cole before he-"

A loud rumble could be heard somewhere in the town, and a small cloud of dust and dirt had emerged from behind a building, as if something had struck the ground hard.

Spyro gave an annoyed sigh, and grumbled, "Just once, I would like Cole to not get into a fight while we're away. Is that so much to ask for?"

"My dear friend Cole in a fight?!" exclaimed Uranium worriedly, "Come, friends! We must come to his aid!"

The next thing the dragons knew, Uranium had taken off down the street toward the large dust cloud. The other three dragons took flight, heading for the cloud as well.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Back at Cole's location, he grunted painfully as he crawled out of the crater that he recently made. He didn't think that Cicatrix's element would be earth, his scale color said otherwise. Though, he did have green on his underbelly and wing membranes, it just didn't seem possible.

Picking himself up, the conduit looked up and widened his eyes. He dodge rolled to his right to avoid a large piece of rock thrown at him, which slammed into the building behind him instead.

Cicatrix gave a dark chuckle, "You're not as powerful as you say you are."

Breathing rather hard, Cole said, "I never... said... I was."

"Quite a shame really," Cicatrix sneered, slowly approaching Cole, "I expected you to at least fight back, but all you seem to do is jump around like the monkey you are."

It was true; the conduit would have loved to send an attack toward the arrogant prick, but Cicatrix was sending his attacks too fast. The last move, which had sent Cole into the air before sending him crashing into the cobblestone road, really knocked him around. He wished he had some electricity to recharge.

Murmuring could be heard within the crowd that had encircled the fight, though the electric man couldn't remember the people gathering to watch the fight. The fight so far had been a blur, but Cole knew that he wasn't doing as well as he hoped.

Taking a deep breath, he slid into a combat pose and gestured for Cicatrix to come at him. The dragon was happy to oblige as he sent a boulder straight towards the conduit. Luckily, Cole used his Kinetic Pulse to catch it out of the air right before it hit him. He then tossed it back, but Cicatrix easily leapt to the side, and the boulder just flew by.

Giving a low growl, the conduit decided to use something he thought he wouldn't have to use. He stretched out his arms in front of him and sent an amazing amount of electricity through them, and summoned an Ionic Storm. Dark clouds quickly came overhead, blocking out the sun. Without hesitation, numerous lightning bolts rained down onto Cicatrix's position, clouding him from view for everyone as the electricity distorted the area.

After a reasonable amount of time, Cole ceased his attack, and the dark clouds quickly receded, returning the sun again. However, the electric man was in for a shock, for when he saw Cicatrix again, he had survived. He had done this by shielding himself with a large piece of rock, having it hover above himself.

Grinning like a maniac, the black dragon gave a hysterical and maniacal laugh, then calmed himself down to ask, "Really? This is _all _you got?"

Cole didn't answer; It's not that he didn't want to, but rather that he couldn't. He had sapped all of his energy dry, he had nothing left until he could find more power. He fell to his knees, feeling weaker as time ticked on.

"Pathetic," Cicatrix snarled, approaching Cole again. However, he only took three steps before another dragon rammed his head, knocking him a few feet away. Stunned slightly, the black dragon looked over to see who his next opposer was, and his jaw dropped. It was a purple dragon, a very famous purple dragon to be exact: Spyro.

"Wha- my squabble is not with you, purple dragon," Cicatrix stated, a bit nervous, "Be away or I shall-"

His sentence went unfinished as Spyro used a barrage of strikes using his claws and tails, and leapt back again and sent a breath of fire at him. The black dragon was now covered in scratches, some quite deep, and singed scales.

Cicatrix took a few steps back, afraid to do anything, and called for his followers. They complied and blocked Spyro from him. With the given time, the black dragon took flight away from the battle, and from the town itself. Spyro had easily taken care of the guards, but couldn't have time to chase down the black dragon. Even if he did, he still had a hurt friend to take care of.

Speaking of which, Spyro swiveled his head around to see Lemon, Cynder, and Uranium helping Cole. The purple dragon sighed at the sight of Cole's condition and walked over.

"How is he?" Spyro asked when he was within range.

"I'm fine," the conduit snapped as he stood up again, albeit rather gently, "I just need some juice before I head over to Usin Hill, that's where their hideout is."

"Alright," Uranium said, "What type of juice? Apple or orange?"

"Not that kind juice," Cole groaned, rubbing his throbbing head before clarifying, "Electricity."

Lemon knew she could supply that, but she had a guilty feeling that she would hurt Cole. The conduit, however, walked over to her and crouched down to her level. "Can you help me with that?" he quipped with a genuine smile.

Lemon stared into his grey colored eyes, and gave a slow nod. The conduit gave his thanks and walked over to an open area to avoid hurting any bystanders. This is when Cole took note of the crowd: they had not dispersed when the fight had ended. In fact, they seemed eager to stay; It was strange.

Lemon charged up her breath and sent a hail of sparks in Cole's direction. Anticipating the incoming electricity, the conduit braced himself, and the energy struck him. He could feel himself heal his injuries, and also the power that has returned. After Lemon stopped her breath, Cole gave a content sigh, and gave her the thumbs up.

The electric man was about to take off after Cicatrix, when suddenly something tugged at his pants leg. Looking down with confusion, he saw a small blue dragon, about as high as his knee, looking back up. He was quivering slightly, and had adorable puppy-dog eyes.

"M-Mister?" the young dragon asked with another pull of the pants. "C-Can you please h-help mama? I m-miss her a lot."

The conduit was completely bewildered by this. He wasn't usual asked specifically to help another person, especially by a child. He just... saves them, no questions asked, and is rarely given any thanks. More murmurs were heard among the crowd, then a familiar dark green dragon broke off from the group and walked briskly to the conduit.

"Thank you for saving me," the bartender expressed picking up the young dragon with his mouth by the scruff of the neck and placing him on his back. He faced Cole again with a small, sad smile and asked, "Sorry about my son, he just... misses her very much."

Agreement could be heard through the crowd, everybody nodding and saying the same thing about other loved ones who were taken. Cole felt his mouth go dry, and he walked through the crowd, knowing all eyes were on him. Nobody said a word, or even breathed, listening for an answer.

Cole stopped in his tracks, and without turning around, he mumbled, "I'll get them back. I swear."

Then he added, "Spyro, Cynder, Lemon, Uranium, stay here and protect these dragons."

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" Uranium questioned, tilting his head.

Instead of answering, the conduit used Ice Launch and was sent soaring through the air before utilizing his static thrusters to clear the town and land in the outskirts. Without pausing for only a second, the conduit took off headed for the hideout that held the captured dragons.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cicatrix pumped his wings hard, determined to get to Usin Hill as quickly as possible. When it was within sight, the black dragon breathed a sigh of relief, and flew down to it. The compound was surrounded by a wooden, makeshift wall. There were three buildings total and a mine. The buildings were off to left side while the wide mine was to the right.

Cicatrix had spotted his second-in-command, and landed right behind him, startling the black-scaled dragon with the yellow underbelly. The second-in-command saw his boss's distressed appearance.

"Uh, what's the matter boss?" he inquired, and got a vigorous head shake as an answer. Cicatrix got up in his face and yelled, "Prepare all the dragons for battle! Everyone!"

Before the other dragon could ask for a reason, Cicatrix took off toward the mine, entering its dark depths. The second-in-command raised a brow, but did not question his odd behaviour, or whoever is coming this way. He shouted the orders to the other dragons, who dropped what they were doing and got battle ready and put themselves at the entrance.

At first, they didn't see a thing, and it remained that way until the conduit came over the hill, tumbling down it as fast as he could. Once he was about 30 yards from the army that awaited for him, he stopped in his running, catching his breath while examining the threat.

Though, the electric man didn't study long when a devilish smile creeped up into his face. The dragons looked over to each other nervously, not sure why he was smiling like that. It was at that moment that Cole sent an Ionic Vortex. Knowing of its transdimensional abilities, the conduit had used it anyway, content that no one would be brought to his world or vice versa.

The guards were not expecting the sudden tornado to come and were glued to the spot in surprise and fear. It was their downfall, as the twister picked them up and tossed them in various places around the compound. The vortex had done its job of clearing the way, and disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared.

'It never gets old,' the conduit thought to himself as he gave a wide grin.

The conduit heard a small scream, which made him rush inside the compound and whip his head around to the mine's entrance. Near it was Cicatrix again, but he was dragging something, or somebody, with him. In his grasp, was the throat of a cyan blue, female dragon. She had tears streaking down her face as she struggled from her bonds that held her paws together.

Cicatrix gave a confident smile as he put a claw on her throat, and she instantly quit her effort to escape, afraid of death. "It appears I have the upper paw yet again, primate," Cicatrix jeered.

"Goddamn it, Cicatrix!" Cole all but shouted, "You're a coward to use a hostage like that!"

"Doesn't really matter," the black dragon replied with a shrug, "Now leave this place, and perhaps I'll let her live."

"Please," the blue dragoness begged through her sobs to her captor, "I have a son, I don't want him to-."

"Oh shut up," he roared, "I don't care about you or your family."

Cole was positively shaking with rage, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He may not be correct on his assumption, but this dragoness might be that little dragon's mother, and it filled the conduit with absolute anger.

"Now, you insolent ape," Cicatrix yelled out, cutting deeper into the dragoness throat, "Are you going to walk away, or do I have to spill this poor creature's blood?"

The electric man had snapped. He raised his right arm and used his Precision ability, as time slowed down and he zoomed in on his target. Lining up the shot, Cole released the heavily charged bolt straight towards Cicatrix's head, killing him instantly.

As his life was snuffed from him, the black dragon fell down, now only a lifeless corpse. The blue dragoness fell down as well, but it was from being terrified through the whole situation. Taking a deep breath, Cole walked up to the Cicatrix's dead form, and stared at it, not feeling a pinch of regret.

"You're a sick bastard," the conduit muttered with distaste. His eyes fell upon the other body, the dragoness, who still gave the occasional sob. Cole knelt to one knee, ripped her bonds apart, and was about to shake her from her anxiety. However, she had jumped up, and hugged the electric man before he could do just that.

"Thank you," she whispered, "Thank you so much..."

Cole then heard whispers and voices resonate from the mine, as more dragons emerged from the entrance. They all had haggard appearances, yet they had smiles on their faces as well. Cole broke away from the hug and stood up, completely stunned by the amount of dragons who were captured.

Then giving a smirk, he made a bow, and exclaimed, "You're all free now. You don't have to worry about Cicatrix ever again."

This was followed by loud cheers of thanks and celebration. They were all grateful for his rescue, and now everyone at the town will see his good intentions. Though it was small victory compared to the grand scale of things, Cole didn't care, as long as he was able to save a couple dragons from a terrible fate. After all, he was just doing what Trish had wanted him to do.

* * *

**If you're still reading this, then perhaps I'm not a big idiot as I thought I was. Anyway, thank you very much for reading up to this point. Where I'm at, Spring Break is here, so I might be able to squeeze another chapter in later this week, but no promises.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Kingdom of Dragunov

**You guys are too nice to me. Anyway, I hope you like this. Fair warning, there is a lot of talking.**

* * *

**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 7: Kingdom of Dragunov**

When Cole returned to the town with the freed captives, the populace was overjoyed. They reunited with their loved ones with hugs of rejoice, but they did not forget the one who had accomplished the heroic deed it in the first place. In fact, the conduit was a celebrated hero, almost as much as Spyro and Cynder back when they defeated Malefor.

The electric man didn't know what to think; Nobody has ever treated him like this before, not even back in Warfang. It felt good to him, like he was reminded why he was a hero in the first place. Saying he was abashed would be right on the money; The unnecessary praise was overwhelming, and when the dragons finally stopped, he could finally take a breather.

His friends did nothing to help, to his dismay. Instead, they opted to just watch while laughing at his distress. Uranium seemed to take it the hardest, as even when the townsfolk were done celebrating, he continued to laugh. Lemon, on the other hand, laughed the least, only giggling occasionally. Cynder was the only one to notice her hesitation, and knew she had to talk to her soon.

The group decided to stay another night, since they were kind of tired from the day, and the sun was setting. The conduit and dragons had two rooms, one for the men, and the other for the women. Uranium was baffled at the segregation, clearly not understanding why, and the others didn't bother filling him in.

As the conduit rested on his pillow bed, his head leaning against a soft part, he could only think about the town and how they treated him. New Marais liked him, but not that much, and Empire City wasn't even close to it. It's strange to think that in a world where he is an alien, he is more accepted then he ever was back home.

"Cole?" Spyro called from the other bed where he rested, making the conduit turn his head to him.

"You alright?" the purple dragon asked with a chuckle, "You seem a little... out of it."

The conduit raised a brow, "Maybe if I wasn't swarmed by those dragons, I wouldn't be so bitter."

"I didn't say that," Spyro retorted, with a sly smile. Cole sighed and looked at this ceiling again.

"I was comparing how these people treat me with New Marais. It's just..."

Spyro nodded, and Cole knew that he didn't need to explain. After all, Spyro was in the city with him.

"Just what?" Uranium interjected, raising his head from his pillow bed that was across from Spyro and Cole. The conduit rubbed his eyes with a groan; The earth dragon didn't know about where he was from.

"I'll just sum it up, okay?" Cole snapped harshly, "The people where I'm from never gave me a celebration like these people did."

Uranium stared at Cole for a good long while, then he spoke, "Fascinating, the people from where you're from must not like you very much."

The conduit turned away from the two other dragons while grumbling, "That's an understatement."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cynder and Lemon just lied in their beds not really doing anything. The black dragoness felt uncomfortable about what she wanted to ask Lemon, but knew she had to do it eventually. Lemon, while rather calm, had troubling issues on her mind.

For one thing, she was about to return to her home town, and more specifically, Magma. The thought of it made the yellow dragoness dread the moment as time went on. She had enjoyed the adventure with Spyro and the others, and wished it would last a little longer. Another thing to consider is the fact that she had these feelings for Cole. She couldn't understand why at first, but upon reviewing the cause and the symptoms, it couldn't be denied.

"Hey," Cynder began hesitantly. Lemon said nothing, nor did she move. Cynder wanted to stop, but pressed on anyway. "You've been... well, different lately. Are you alright? Is there something on your mind?"

Lemon gave a heavy sigh, and looked over to Cynder with a sad expression. She then quickly looked down, seeming ashamed of whatever was on her mind.

"I don't think I'm alright," she admitted, "I'm conflicted and..."

Cynder saw her reluctance, and made her way to Lemon's side, resting a wing over her. "Hey, it's fine," she said soothingly, "if you don't want to talk about it, then we can drop it."

Lemon considered it for a moment, but shook it off. "No," the yellow dragoness declined, "I need to tell somebody."

Lemon made sure she was ready to say what has knawd at her for some time. She exhaled slowly, looked up at Cynder's emerald eyes, and said with a hint of regret, "I... might like Cole."

Cynder didn't know what to say or do, though the first thing to find out is if Lemon meant what she said, "You mean... more than friends."

Lemon gave a single nod, and Cynder was dumbstruck. Her good friend might be in love with an alien, no offensive to Cole in any way. It was not uncommon for a dragon to love a member of another species. There were dragons who loved Cheetahs and Atlawas, but this was probably the first time a dragon loved a completely new species. Cynder wasn't even sure if humans did this often or not.

"How long?" Cynder squeezed out, still thinking about everything that this has brought up.

"I think since he protected me from Magma, back in Warfang," Lemon explained, head hung low.

The black dragoness began to understand her situation, but was still confused to one aspect. "Have you told him yet?"

Lemon was shocked by this, and vigorously shook her head, "No, of course not! What would he say? What would he do? I don't think he even likes me back!"

"Calm down," Cynder said sternly but softly, "I understand how you feel, I behaved the same way with Spyro. You just have to tell him, trust me."

"I would," Lemon cried out, tears brimming on her eyes, "but I'm still with Magma, and I don't even want to say what he would do to me if he found out!"

"Why are you even with him, then?" Cynder asked desperately, "Why do you have to be with a jerk like Magma?"

"Because..." she trailed off while tears began to fall, "...I can't tell you, even if I wanted to. I... promise I'll tell you, but not now."

Cynder hugged her distraught friend, comforting her as she cried. The black dragoness began singing a song she had learned from Spyro. The purple dragon had sang it to her when she was upset, and now she was passing it along.

As she sang, Cynder glanced out the window at the dark and starry night. She hoped that whatever is keeping her with Magma would crumble, so she could be happy. The conduit, however, was a different story. The black dragoness didn't know if Cole even liked Lemon as well, or even if loving a different species was normal with humans. The time for secrets to reveal themselves would come, but that time was not now.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Once everyone was awake again in the morning, the group left, with the towns folk waving them off. Though Cole appreciated their enthusiasm to cheer for him, the constant thanks was wearing on him, and he was becoming down right annoyed.

Thankfully, the group got far enough away so the shouts and yells of gratitude faded until it was silent once again. The conduit shook his head at their persistance; They must have _really_ needed his help. And so the four dragons and human continued traveling to their destination.

The atmosphere was quiet, as no one spoke, and it remained that way for the whole trek. The scenery changed from a Savannah landscape, to rocky terrain with a few patches of green grass. The conduit wondered if they were even going the right way, but the others examined the map and said they were on the right track.

The sun made its way across the sky as the group walked on a surprisingly flat setting. Nothing to see but the multiple boulders and land fixtures. Day shortly turned to night, and the group slept under the stars for the time being. They weren't interrupted by any enemy, so they were able to stay to themselves. This gave them ample time to think about whatever they wanted.

While Cole took look out once again, Lemon stayed on the other side of the camp, moping pitifully. Cynder wanted to do something, but wasn't sure what. Spyro and Uranium were no help whatsoever, as the purple dragon fell asleep early, and Uranium is downright unreliable.

The sun rose over the horizon and the group packed up and advanced on the nearing city. An hour passed, and Cole was the first to finally see a city, being the tallest.

"Please be the city," the conduit grumbled, rubbing his sore head.

"Uh, Cole," Spyro said nonchalantly, "It _is_ the city."

The electric man didn't say a word, instead, he gave a grin with a small chuckle. As the Kingdom of Dragunov neared, the sight of the city became one of awe. Though Warfang was magnificent in its own respective way, this city was uniquely marvelous. It was built on top of a cliff, with a large tower looming over the smaller buildings. The tower itself was on the closest to the cliff's edge, and the other buildings were all in a semi-circle around it.

"I'm going to make a guess," Uranium spoke up, pointing to the tower, "That the tower is the palace."

"You deserve a gold star, Uranium," Cole commented dryly.

The city was also surrounded by a large wall, like in Warfang, and two ice dragons stood in front of the gate. They wore steel body armor that hugged the body not too tightly, but enough to keep make them look ready for a fight.

At the sight of the approaching group, the guards jumped to a combat stance, glaring at the group, but more at Cole specifically. In a instant, the guards leaped towards the conduit, and everyone dived out of the way before the guards landed where they once stood.

They set their gaze on Cole, and began heading toward him slowly, waiting for the right moment to pounce. Being threatened, Cole allowed electricity to flow through his arms, getting ready for another attack. Before any sort of fight could ensue, however, Spyro and the other dragons stepped in between the three, and stared at the guards with anger.

"What are you doing!?" Cynder spoke first, furrowing her brow deeply.

The guards' faces suddenly shifted to shock, and they glanced at each other before one of them asked, "Wait, he's with you? An unknown monster is traveling with a bunch of dragons?"

Spyro shook his head in disbelief, scoffing. "Of course!" he shouted, "Why else would we bring a bipedal creature with us? He's our friend!"

The purple dragon took a deep breath, calming himself down and said with composed features, "We're here on important business. We have permission from the Guardians to speak with your king."

The guards were hesitant, eyeing Cole suspiciously, but eventually gave in. With defeated sighs, the two guards walked up to the closed gate, and grasped the handles firmly. They then pulled with all their might, and the two doors opened outward, revealing the city within.

The group hastily made their way inside to see a form of chaos. The streets were bustling with dragons, each going in different directions to different locations. They hardly noticed the group at first, but within a small amount of seconds, the dashing dragons stopped and stared at the new arrivals. They probably would have ignored Spyro and the others, if they didn't bring a strange and potentially dangerous bipedal creature with them.

The expressions of the dragons were generally the same, all with anger etched into their features. They did not attack, but they gave hateful looks at Cole nonetheless. The conduit gave an exasperated sigh, and began walking to the palace tower. The dragons stepped out of his way, and cleared a path for him straight towards it. Spyro and Cynder looked at each other worriedly, and followed along, with Lemon and Uranium in tow.

The conduit couldn't help but look at the menacing glares he was receiving; Not even Empire City hated him this much. It was at this moment that a shout of anguish cried out, "Monster!"

The crowd seemed to join along as everyone began throwing insults in the wind, some of which were very unnecessary. Though the constant shouts and jeers made it difficult to hear, the conduit was able to pick on some of the insults.

"Get out of town!"

"Why would you even do such a thing!?"

"Leave our city alone!"

"Look at this freak!"

One bystander had the audacity to throw a rotting tomato at the electric man, which hit the side of his face. The juices leaked down his cheek, and what was left of the fruit was wiped off by the conduit's hand. Cole clenched his teeth and eyes tightly, wanting nothing more but to lash out at the crowd. But the paw that rested on his right forearm, stopped those thoughts instantly.

Looking down, Cole could see the sad eyes of Cynder. She didn't have to say a word, only by looking at her pleading eyes did the conduit get the message. Making a sad exhalation, the electric man trudged on, accepting the abuse with the little dignity he had left.

After what seemed like hours to Cole, the group finally entered the palace tower. Once the palace doors slammed shut, the sounds of outrage were instantly cut off, putting the whole atmosphere in silence. Not even Uranium dared utter a word at the display.

The conduit was used to offensive words, but this takes the cake. Those dragons out there genuinely hated him for what seemed like unknown reasons. Meanwhile, with Lemon, she felt even worse for Cole. It was already bad enough that he was stuck in this world with dragons, but he had to be ridiculed for nothing at all as well?

Everybody stared at Cole's back, waiting for him to react in some way to the recent uproar. However, the conduit's shoulders slumped, and he whispered dejectedly, "Let's just go."

The dragons wanted to say that it was alright, but no words could cure what those dragons had said and done. The conduit at last noted the room in which they stepped in. it was large for one thing, with three floors dedicated to this room alone. The room stretched for many yards, and four marble columns supported the large expanse. The floor was also made of marble, with a red rug that started from the palace doors and ended at what looked like a throne area.

Three thrones sat there, and three dragons occupied them, with another sitting to the side of a throne. Cole narrowed his eyes and walked in that direction, intent on seeing the king that forced him to walk all this way. As he neared the King and the other three dragons, he noticed the large colored glass-paned windows. They towered over everybody and held a large red dragon. Upon coming to a halt, the conduit could see the King and everyone else as well.

In the center throne sat what Cole assumed to be the King. He was overweight, and had a uncaring gaze. His scales were a rich crimson, and his underbelly had a dark orange look. Upon his head was a gold crown, with dull jewels attached around it.

To his left, the electric man saw two other dragons, though only one sat in the throne. This dragon had a striking resemblance to Spyro in a way; his horns and figure were almost perfectly matched, and he seemed the same age as well. His scales were a plain red, and his underbelly, wing membranes, and horns were a rich yellow.

The other dragon who sat on a pillow beside the red teenage dragon was definitely feminine, for the pink scales. She had an innocent face, with a white underbelly and matching wing membranes. Her horns were a light yellow.

At last, Cole looked to his right, and almost lost his cool. In this throne sat the one and only Magma, smirking like he had the conduit pinned. The electric man ground his teeth and faced the King, hoping to get this over with.

The King remained sitting on his throne, but raised his right paw in a lazy wave. "Hail, dragons of Warfang," then with a last and bitter note, "and company."

Spyro stepped up to stand at Cole's left, and also raised his right paw, "Hail, dragons of the Kingdom of Dragunov. We are honored by your presence."

"As are we, Spyro," the King grinned, "I am King Dragunov." He gestured to his Cole's left, "This is my eldest son, Flame, and his girlfriend, Ember." Spyro nodded to them, and they reciprocated. Cole was hesitant at first, but gave a small bow in their direction. Though the conduit wasn't liking the situation he got himself into, he knew that those dragons were probably the nicest here.

Ignoring the electric man's bow, Dragunov gestured to Cole's right, "And I'm sure you already know Magma, Flame's twin brother."

"All too well," Cole grunted to himself, crossing his arms annoyingly.

"We came here to seek peace," Spyro explained, "and show that we meant no harm to your son."

"Understood," the King nodded, "Now, would you be so kind to apologize to my son, Magma?"

Cole sighed, this was the moment of truth. He had traveled more than 50 miles just to do this. He had better not mess it up. However, upon seeing Magma's smug grin, the conduit nearly ran up and sucker punched him in the jaw. Restraining himself, Cole fully faced Magma, gave a single curt bow, and mumbled, "Sorry."

Magma only laughed at the display, "Really? That's all I get for being beaten up?"

"You're lucky I didn't kill you!" Cole snapped, taking a step forward.

"Cole!" Cynder hissed from behind, "Just keep going!"

King Dragunov was not happy with the conduit's behavior. Narrowing his eyes threateningly, the King pointed straight at Cole, and ordered, "_Respectively_ apologize to my son that you nearly killed, or I shall smite you where you stand."

The electric man was about to protest, but held his tongue at the last moment. He looked over to Spyro, who nodded sympathetically. Cole gave a defeated sigh; There was only one way out. The conduit dropped to his knees and placed his hands down on the ground in front of him.

'Magma better appreciate this,' Cole said in his mind, 'Who am I kidding, of course he's not.'

Giving one final heavy exhale, the conduit stared at the red carpet underneath him. "I am truly sorry," Cole stated flatly, "I'll watch myself next time."

Though Cole couldn't see it, he could tell that Magma was giving a huge sneer, "Apology accepted... monster."

The conduit clenched his fists and slowly rose, not taking his eyes off the ground. Suddenly, he could hear a dragon approaching from where Flame was sitting. Looking up, Cole came face to face with Magma's twin brother. Flame seemed intent on studying the conduit closely, as if judging his strength.

Then with a chuckle, Flame turned to his brother and laughed, "You lost to this wimpy thing? I know you're not much of a fighter, but even Kindling could take him on."

Magma scoffed, but did not utter a word. In his stead, Dragunov spoke, "Do not underestimate him, Flame, he is a terrible monster that might possibly rain destruction upon us."

The conduit looked at the King with a raised brow, thinking he was joking. Upon seeing his serious face, however, Cole determined he was not.

"Wait, monster? Destruction?" Cynder repeated in bewilderment, as Flame made his way back to his seat, "Cole would never do such a thing. He saved a town just two days ago."

"I must disagree on that, Cynder, for this... Cole was it?" the King asked as an afterthought, and the conduit nodded, allowing Dragunov to continue. "for this monster _will_ eventually eradicate us all."

"Who told you that?" Lemon spoke up defensively, and Magma's eye twitched.

"Lemon!" Magma scolded, causing the yellow dragoness to flinch, "Come to my side, and do not speak against my father!"

Lemon stared in shock at the red dragon's command. She almost forgot why she came here in the first place. Dipping her head down low, Lemon reluctantly walked to the pillow beside Magma.

"Good girl," Magma snarled happily. Cole growled, but did not lash out. He knew that it would be pointless to attack or say anything against Magma. Although, he did send a mental barrage of curses his way. Lemon was growing on him, in more ways than one, but he did not fully recognize it yet. When Lemon sat down with a depressed frown, King Dragunov answered the yellow dragoness' question never the less.

"Anyway, I was told by my new adviser that Cole here is the problem," the King informed.

"Cole's not the problem," Spyro said calmly, "Malefor is, he has returned."

"Nonsense," Dragunov objected, "There is no evidence of his return."

"Cole saw him," Cynder said gesturing to the conduit, who had not moved a muscle, "In his dreams, The Dark Master conversed with him."

The King gave a blank stare, before he gave a bark of laughter, "A dream? That is not concrete proof of his return. Just the imaginings of a monster."

There was silence as Spyro's group had no remark to his reply. It was true that it was only in Cole's head, but the conduit could not have known about Malefor any other way.

"Who's your adviser?" Cole questioned quietly, his gaze steadily on the King.

Dragunov tilted his head in confusion, not understanding the question, "uh, pardon?"

"I said who is your adviser?" Cole replied quickly and with more volume, "You said you're adviser told you about me, but that's impossible. I only arrived a few days ago, there is no way he could have known about me before hand at Warfang. So answer me: Who, is, your, adviser?"

King Dragunov grunted at the conduit's rude behaviour, but put it to the side for the time being. "My adviser is Milson, who, coincidentally is standing behind you."

Cole, Spyro, Cynder, and Uranium whipped around to see a large ape standing with a hint of anger in his eyes. Meanwhile, with Cole's eyes, they were widened with shock. He had seen him before, he had _fought_ him before!

"This ape attacked Warfang!" Cole stated angrily, pointing at the ape.

Everyone in the room was puzzled by the conduit's accusation, especially those from the Kingdom of Dragunov. "Are you sure?" Cynder asked politely.

Cole nodded, and said, "He led the army I took down! He was the only survivor, he must have ran here to say that I'm a monster!"

Milson stood with an unfazed expression. He walked around the group and stood by the King's side. "My king," the ape started with respect, "I must decline these accusations, as they are too improbable. Me? Attack Warfang? Ridiculous."

"It's the truth," Cole said in exasperation, never taking his eyes off of Milson.

"Regardless," the King spoke up, putting a paw up to silence the others before they could protest, "He is my adviser and you shall be kind to him like any of us. Is that clear, monster?"

The electric man waved his hand to the side, "Stop calling me that! I'm not the monster here!"

"You're the only one acting like one," Magma observed with a dark chuckle.

The conduit placed a hand on his head in vexation. They would not listen at all, and arguing with them was getting him no where. Taking a deep breath, Cole glared at Milson with an astounding amount of hate. It was probably the ape who spread the word around town about how he "attacked" Magma, how _he_ was the monster. "So now what?" the conduit said in defeat, "Do I just walk away now or do you have anything left to say to the monster?"

"Last order of business," Dragunov reassured, "What are you four going to do now? I just can't have this... beast run around my city without security."

"We planned to stay here a couple of days," Spyro explained, "Just to have a rest before we head back. If you want security on Cole, you can assign one. That is," he looked over at Cole, "if you don't mind."

The electric man rubbed his chin in thought. Having someone monitor him 24/7 felt wrong, like with Sparx back in Warfang. However, if things turn out well, Cole can prove that he isn't some kind of being bent on causing others harm.

With his mind made up, Cole shrugged his shoulders, "Do what you want."

The King nodded, "Very well, Flame, Ember, would you be so kind as to watch over Cole during his stay?"

"Of course, father," Flame replied, rising to his feet, "I shall make sure he doesn't harm a soul."

"Very good," Dragunov responded, "Then I decree that Flame and Ember shall accompany you four where ever you go."

Flame and Ember walked over the group, but Cole didn't acknowledge their presence. Instead, he spun on his heel, and began walking down the large hall to the palace entrance. The other dragons followed behind, not wanting to be separated from the conduit. Cole grabbed the handles on the doors and pulled outward. As soon as he did, he was instantly met with jeers and shouts from the other side. Apparently, the citizens had not left their positions from before.

The conduit, already at the end of his rope, shook with anger, then unleashed his built up aggression. "Shut up!" he roared, and though it came from one man, it was enough to silence the crowd, and even earn a couple scared faces.

"I had about enough of this place," Cole grumbled to himself before running to a nearby building and climbed it. He did this just when the group came barreling out of the palace. Turning every which way, Spyro could tell where Cole went; Everyone was staring at a single building like it had insulted them.

"Um, sorry everyone," Cynder shouted to the crowd, "he just... has a lot on his mind."

No one said anything, only giving each other glances. Spyro shook his head, and took flight determined to get to Cole quickly. The other dragons followed suit, and they all soared away toward the human.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

When Cole and the other dragons left the tower palace, Dragunov sighed while rubbing his forehead. "That thing will be the death of this town," he said to no one in particular.

"I concur," Magma agreed.

Lemon remained quiet. Though she would have gladly defended Cole, she couldn't do it. The promise she had made long ago forced her not to. A part of her wished that she could tell her friends, but it was for the best that they didn't know.

"Hey, Lemon," Magma called, furrowing his brow, "Come, we have some... catching up to do."

The yellow dragoness shivered, but followed him anyway. She had to keep her promise, she just had to. When they left, Dragunov gave another sigh, realizing he was alone at last. However, a cute yet firm shout of joy canceled his peace.

"Father!" the voice yelled, the source of which was running quickly toward Dragunov. The King smiled happily, for his youngest son, Kindling, had that effect on others.

Kindling was rather small, being about half the height of Flame or Magma, as well as being half the age. His scales were orange, with his underbelly being yellow as well as his horns. Surprisingly, this young dragon had no wings, as he was born that way. Though he was very different from the common dragon, Dragunov loved his son very much.

The young dragon jumped into his father's outstretched arms, and gave each other a warm hug. After which, when they pulled apart, Kindling sat on the arm rest of the throne, looking up at Dragunov with his brilliant blue eyes.

"Who was that earlier, father?" he asked curiously, "he looked kind of cool!"

The King gave a small chuckle, "Were you watching another one of my meetings?"

"I don't know," Kindling answered quickly and playfully. Dragunov gave a laugh and patted the dragon's head.

"I shall take my leave," Milson announced, doing so hastily. Dragunov watched him go, kind of surprised that he was still here as well. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned back to his son, and said sternly, "Now, Kindling, I want you to stay away from that... thing. He is very dangerous, and I don't know what I would do if you got hurt."

"Aww," the young dragon cried, "but he looks so cool! With his clothes, and that metal thing on his back, and-"

"I know, Kindling," Dragunov interrupted kindly, "but just promise me you'll stay away from him."

"Alright," Kindling groaned, looking down in sadness.

The King gave a small smile, and hugged his son again. No matter what happens, he will never let anything happen to his wife's last child.

* * *

**I hope I did well when describing these characters, it isn't exactly my strongest trait. If you have some ideas for this story, I'll listen, but I can't promise that it'll be in this; Just for consideration.**


	8. Chapter 8: Secrets

**Man, I had to force myself to write this, had such intense writer's block. Be prepared a whole lot of talking for this one.**

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**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 8: Secrets**

Cole could do nothing but pace on a building that was placed near the city wall. His anger was fueling his hatred for so many things. First was the Kingdom of Dragunov. Nobody seemed to care about him at all and only believe the lies that Magma probably spread.

Another thing is that the king downright refused to believe the return of Malefor. King Dragunov seemed to only put his faith in that adviser, who was definitely the ape that was about to attack Warfang. Which raised another question: How did he gain the trust of the king so quickly? It didn't make much sense, and Cole was to mad to think any further.

One last thing was just Magma overall. The conduit had met some pretty messed up people in his day, and he thought Kessler was the worst. Magma was not only annoying, but also his behavior to the others was a travesty. It furiated him to no end, and it did not help that Lemon was with him as well.

The thought of her alone with that bastard made Cole frantic with anger. She was so innocent and nice, she doesn't deserve to be forced to be with him. Cole was growing so mad that he really wanted to hit something, his muscles practically demanding it.

The conduit could feel electricity crackling through his arm, desperate to put his aggression out. He could only settle with smashing his clenched fists into the stone ground that was the roof. His attack left a spider web of cracks, not enough to destroy the top of the building, but enough for anyone to see if they flew above the area.

With his raging demeanor finally settling down, Cole gripped his head tightly, wishing that he had done something before she was taken away with that fire dragon.

"Cole!" shouted the undeniable voice of Spyro, "Finally we found you."

The conduit turned his head to look over his shoulder, seeing Spyro, Cynder, and Uranium, along with Flame and Ember. He had totally forgotten about them in his frenzy.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Cole gave a morbid expression and simply said, "Hey."

"That's all you have to say?" Uranium asked quizzically, "After jumping on houses for hours on end? I probably would've said something along the lines of 'I'm exhausted'."

Cole turned around to face the group completely and gave Uranium a dark glare, a sign that says that he isn't in the mood. Getting the picture, Uranium suddenly found his feet very interesting.

"Cole," Cynder begins quietly, "Are you alright?"

"No," the conduit replies without emotion; he walked to the building's stone railing and took a seat, "No I'm not."

"Look," Flame spoke to the conduit for the first time, "I know my brother isn't the nicest dragon around, but you have to get over it. Being angry towards him won't change a thing, only make it worse."

"You don't understand," Cole accused, looking off to the side.

"What don't I understand?" Flame exclaimed, walking over to the conduit. "That you're a crazy monster bent on destroying our home, or the fact that you want to tear apart my twin brother?"

"Shut up!" shouted the electric man, standing up instantly and giving the fire dragon a death glare. Flame jumped back a few steps, looking completely startled. "You don't understand what I've been through, what I had to do to get here. What I've seen, what I've done. You're ignorant on everything about me. And where do you think you got your conclusion from? An ape that comes out of no where sprouting rumors of my terrible acts?"

Cole acted like he was waiting for an answer, but in truth, he wanted the idea of his own innocence to set in. He was tired for be called a monster, tired of all the hate. For once, just once, he would like to be appreciated in this dragon world. Sure, he was loved in that one town before, but it didn't change the Dragon Realm's view of the conduit.

Everyone gave each other sideways glances to each other, and Cole gave a deep sigh. He wasn't really proving his point by snapping like that.

"Look," he began a bit quieter, "I know I'm different, and-"

"Cole," Spyro interrupted, making his way to him with a sympathetic expression, "You don't have to explain yourself."

The electric man exhaled deeply, staring at the ground in thought. He knew he didn't have to give his life story all over again, but it felt like it was the only way for people to understand. Taking a seat again on the stone railing, Cole continuing thinking about his life. This set him on a path in which he remembered that still hasn't told Spyro and Cynder about what really happened back on Earth.

With his insides gnawing at him, the conduit couldn't contemplate a better alternative; It was time he told them what had happened back home.

"Can I speak with Spyro and Cynder alone?" he asked solemnly. Everyone just stood there in confusion, not understanding the sudden request.

"Now, please?" he asked with more force. Flame, Ember, and Uranium spread there wings and flew to a different building, granting the space Cole wanted. Once they were a respectable distance away, the conduit slid down the railing until he was sitting on the stone roof, eye level with the two dragons before him.

"Before I start," he expressed rather sadly, "You have to promise to tell me everything about yourselves."

"What do you-" Cynder started.

"_Everything_," Cole pronounced carefully. If he was going to reveal to them about the things he's hidden, then so were they. No exceptions.

Seeing where the electric man was going at, Spyro closed his eyes in reflection. He had put off telling the conduit about his past, particularly about his own dark self. Was it from fear of rejection? Fear of losing a good friend? No, it was the possibility of disappointment. Spyro had proven to be a worthy hero, even Cole looked up to him some what. He was afraid that the conduit would think badly of not only himself, but for what he stood up for.

"Okay," Spyro agreed, opening his eyes with determination. Cynder also nodded, ready to show what she also has been keeping away from the conduit.

Taking a deep breath, Cole thought of where to even begin. With his eyes fixed on Spyro solely, he decided to just go with it. "You remember Kessler, right? My future self? There was a reason he killed Trish, a reason he was my archenemy back in Empire City."

He paused, bracing himself for what he was about to say, "He was training me to fight the Beast. A monster so horrifying, that it can destroy a city in a single night."

Cole looked to the side, trying to ignore the dragons' shocked faces. "A month after I defeated Kessler, the Beast appeared... but I wasn't ready. I gave it my all, and it still wasn't enough. The monster destroyed the only home I knew, killed everyone in that god damn city. And all I could do was run to New Marais."

Suppressing a chuckle, the conduit still let out a small smile, "I guess if I didn't go to that city, I would never have met you. But after you left, the Beast finally arrived. A man, named Wolfe, gave me a device that could defeat the Beast, but he didn't tell me that it would kill all conduits, even myself."

Spyro and Cynder were too stunned to respond in any way. The wealth of information that Cole was displaying was too much to comprehend all at once. The conduit never noticed, though, as he felt too ashamed to even look them straight in the face. It was already hard enough to try to explain it, the conduit didn't want to see the horror on their faces because of it.

"Knowing the inevitable, I decided to use the device anyway, but Kuo was against it. She wanted to work with the Beast, since he turned out to be an old friend from Empire City. But I still refused. She left us, just to join him. I had to fight her... I had no choice."

The revelation of the last few events in New Marais finally hit Cole like a wave of emotions. He never put much thought into it, seeing as he was in a new world and all, but now that he was showing his two friends the memories, he could feel himself tear up slightly. He never showed it, but it still came none the less.

"In the end, I used the device, but it sent me to this place instead of killing me. Kuo is dead, Nix is dead... I'm the last living conduit."

Silence was all Cole could hear, besides the constant noise from the streets below. The conduit closed his eyes now, not only to hide the speck of tears that came, but also to avoid Spyro's gaze.

Meanwhile, Spyro and Cynder almost refused to believe all of this. The facts didn't seem likely; the conduit never acted like there was a monster lingering in his world. Spyro shut his eyes tight, shaking slightly from the words that he was restraining from yelling. In the end, though, he let it out.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" he practically screamed, causing Cynder to jump back from her love, "We could've helped you!"

The electric man all but remained still from his outburst, predicting the outcome before hand. Gathering his courage, he looked up at the purple dragon's angry expression. "Because it wasn't your burden to bear."

Spyro visibly relaxed, though he was still ticked off about this huge secret. Cole elaborated his answer, for the sake of explanation. "You were already in an unfamiliar world with your friend lost in it. What right do I have to worry you further with a possible threat you might never come across?"

The purple dragon's world was spinning, the truth that was behind the curtain has emerged, but he didn't like it one bit, no matter how much the conduit dressed it up. As for Cole, he was just glad that he got that off his chest. Despite what Spyro thought of him now, The conduit felt like this was the right course of action.

Standing up, with weak legs, the conduit watched as Spyro shook his head uncertainly with this new knowledge. Cynder seemed to be taking it quite well, considering he had lied to her. In fact, she behaved like her secret was even worse.

Speaking of which, the conduit had told him his skeleton in the closet. "Alright, your turn," Cole pointed out, crossing his arms expectantly as he leaned against the stone railing. Spyro glared at him, wanting to just leave him to think about what he really has done. However, he did promise to show his hidden side, even Cynder had agreed to it.

Taking a deep breath, the purple dragon began his own story, "As being a legendary purple dragon, I have the power to stop evil. But if I'm not careful, I can be easily succumbed by the darkness itself."

Cole raised an eyebrow, subtly asking to explain further. "This is true with Malefor, the purple dragon before me. For me though, it all depends."

"Like if someone is making fun of Cynder?" Cole suggested without a hint of laughter. The black dragoness tilted her head with perplexity, wondering where the conduit got that sort of idea.

"One of many," Spyro admitted with a nod. Though the conduit couldn't exactly sympathize with his dragon friend, he could only imagine what it could be like to have a dark side. Cole turned his head to Cynder, who flinched from his gaze. She knew it was her turn, but it still left a lump in her throat.

Looking to the floor, the black dragoness wished she didn't have to talk about her past. But Cole had put out what was on his mind, it was alone right that she did the same.

"I used to work for Malefor!" she blurted out, just to get it over with. She stared at Cole's startled figure, fearing that he would react harshly in some way. Instead, he gave a kind smile, and said, "Well, it's a good thing you're on our side now.

"you're... you're not worried that I might turn on you?" she asked hopefully.

"I see no reason why I should," Cole stated plainly, "Your not one to do that anyway."

Cynder seemed to not like the answer, as she looked off to the side with a frown. The conduit thought for a few seconds, but came to a better conclusion. "You have Spyro with you, who I bet freed you from Malefor. Don't let what others think of you determine who you are, only that of yourself, and maybe your friends."

Cynder smiled, and looked back up at the conduit with delight. "Thanks, Cole," she expressed; The electric man truly was what a hero should be.

Cole sighed and nodded at the gesture of kindness, his thoughts now elsewhere. Though he was glad that he had told his dragon friends the old situation back home, there was still the predicament of the Kingdom of Dragunov itself, government and all.

Cynder could apparently read minds, because she could tell what the conduit was thinking. She mused over what she could do for her human friend, especially after he had accepted her past. Maybe if someone else told him their past, someone who could really use the company.

"Cole," Cynder said, snapping the electric man out of his contemplation, "You... you should see Lemon."

The conduit wasn't sure what she meant by that statement, displaying his confusion with a raised eyebrow and tilted head. Seeing she didn't illustrate clear enough, she elaborated. "She has been keeping something from all of us, and she... has a bit more of a reason to tell you then any of us."

The conduit was still bewildered by what she was saying. Why would he be a better choice to be told her own secrets? He was curious about what she was keeping back, but was he really the one to learn about it?

Before he could argue, however, Cynder gave him a stern gaze, one that spoke volumes to the electric man. She was obviously showing to not deny her, and just go along with it. He shook his head with a gentle chuckle, "I guess I'll see to it then."

The conduit walked over to the buildings edge that was closest to the palace tower. Spyro and Cynder watched as he did this, positive that Cole was doing the right thing. Taking one last look over his shoulder, the conduit gave a half salute and began his journey to Lemon.

Unbeknownst to the three, Uranium, Flame, and Ember were on the building's balcony, and had listened in on the whole ordeal. For them, this was the first time they had heard at least part of the electric man's life. They had no idea that Cole had so much on his head at one point, or even that he could have been dead. To say they were stunned could be considered an understatement, but they were so shocked that it hardly made a difference.

"Wow," Flame spoke at last, staring straight ahead, "I never... He's just..."

"That guy is a freakin' badass!" Uranium whispered excitedly, facing the other two dragons with enthusiasm.

"There is actually a beast worse than him?" Ember questioned worriedly, "I mean, what if it came here?"

"But didn't that mon-... person say that he destroyed it with some sort of device?" Flame pointed out, "Maybe we have nothing to worry about."

"I don't know about you guys," Uranium announced, walking to the edge of the balcony, "but I'm going after Spyro and Cynder."

"What do you mean?" Flame asked, following the green dragon.

"I mean that they are going one way," he pointed to the two flying dragons, fleeing the area. "While Cole is going another." He pointed to the conduit, still heading for the palace.

"Gah! We're supposed to watch him!" Ember exclaimed, spreading her wings and taking flight after the electric man. Flame shook of his stupor expression, and repeated the process as well. As for Uranium, he watched them as they soared through the sky after Cole for a while. Then, blinking, the green dragon examined his area frantically.

"Who was I about to follow?" he asked, and even though he was alone, he began going into another speech, trying to recal his earlier intentions.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Lemon stared at the setting sun dejectedly; She wished more then ever that she was away from Magma. Standing at the open window before her, in Magma's room, her thoughts drifted to the conduit. She couldn't deny the feeling insider her any longer: she loved the human. It did feel somewhat strange to love another species, but she also felt like it didn't matter. After all, love _is _blind.

Taking a deep sigh, she looked back in the room she was in. Magma was down at dinner still, stuffing his face as usual, and so she had the room for herself for the time being. His room wasn't much, with only a queen-sized bed and a dresser for furniture. There wasn't even a rug to compliment the cold cobblestone floor.

Hoping that she could have more alone time for herself, she saw a shadow block the sun light that was streaming in through the window. Turning slowly to see what was preventing the sunlight entry, she jumped back with a start at who it was.

It was Cole, and he seemed to be smiling, then again, so was she. "Hey," he said simply, not much for greetings.

"Hey," Lemon replied back, feeling her head feel hot from the awkward welcome. Still, the conduit chuckled, and jumped off his perch on the window, taking a seat at the sill afterwords.

Crossing his arms, his smile never wavering, the conduit explained, "So, I heard from a friend that you have kept secrets from us."

His tone was flat and a bit creepy as well, causing Lemon's smile to slide to a frown as she became slightly scared. Seeing her behavior, Cole quickly corrected himself from his blunder, "Sorry, I'm... not used to doing these kind of things. The last time I tried was-" he stopped himself suddenly, memories of the last time came flashing through his mind as his smile died on his lips.

"Uh... never mind," he covered up quickly, hoping she would wave off his cut-off sentence. However, Lemon seemed to understand as she walked slowly to Cole, whispering, "with Trish?"

The conduit looked off to the side, only giving a nod for confirmation. At this point, the sun had fallen over the horizon, giving off only a hint of light as everything became shrouded in darkness.

"Cole, thank you for coming and seeing me," Lemon started slowly, "but if Magma catches you up here..."

"Ah, screw him," Cole said with a chuckle, waving his arm around for emphasise. "I'll survive whatever he throws at me."

"I guess," Lemon mumbled with concern, as she looked down with apprehension. After seeing this, Cole thought about his next words carefully, not wanting to upset her further.

"If I tell you my life back home," he commented with a hint of despair, "can you tell me what's really bothering you?"

Lemon gasped at his suggestion; She did really want to know about the conduit's past, but at the cost of her own secrets? She did want to tell at least somebody, but... She sighed, Cole was probably the best person to tell, one that would not go around spreading it, and not get in the way as well.

"I accept," she responded, choking slightly on the words.

The conduit gave a reassuring grin, and began his long tale. He told her practically everything, from right before the blast, to the point where he entered the Dragon Realms. Lemon could only gaze at Cole with his antics and funny outlook of the scenarios he had. Story after story was told, and the electric man was actually beginning to like story telling, though, he wasn't going to make a habit out of it.

It felt strange for the conduit to retell his adventures. It was like watching someone else go through all of the hardships he had endured. And to think that all of it took place in only 3 months. After finishing his long story, Cole could only give a long sigh of exasperation; It was like a great load has been lifted.

"And you just keep going?" Lemon asked in disbelief.

"What do you mean?" Cole replied back, slightly puzzled.

"You just seem to be hit with a lot of terrible luck, and you just seem to plow through it."

The conduit gave a small chuckle, though he did see the meaning behind the words. "It's not easy," he said with a shrug, "Alright, enough about me. It's your turn."

Lemon's heart skipped a beat; she had completely forgotten about the promise she had made. She could feel cold sweat plaster her body as she fidgeted with her paws.

"I-I don't even know where to begin," the yellow dragoness stammered.

"I heard the beginning is always a good place to start," the conduit responded with patience and a serious expression.

Taking a shaky breath, Lemon prepared herself for what she was about to explain to her crush. She wanted to delay it in some way, but she knew that the conduit would see through her hindrance.

"Okay, here goes nothing," she mumbled, taking one last deep breath. "My dad lived on a farm, not too far away from the Kingdom of Dragunov. I lived there for years, and I loved him so much. But, a few months ago, he grew very ill, and we didn't have the gold to help him. He was going to die."

Cole hung to every word she said, his brain working rapidly to compensate with the brand new information. While the conduit did this, Lemon continued her tale. "I was so desperate, I didn't want him to go; My last living relative. Then, I find Magma flying over head one day while I was out. I got his attention, and asked for his help. He agreed almost immediately, going back to his home to get the healers."

Tears began to fall out of her eyes, and she hastily tried to cover them up, but Cole was still able to see them. "He had been so generous, and I didn't think much of it at the time. When he came back with the healers, though, he said I owed him a huge debt. Since I couldn't pay it off, I was forced to go with him, and be his 'girlfriend'. He made me swear to not tell my father, or he would... kill him."

The yellow dragoness' eyes were filled with water as it came in full now, drenching her cheeks. "As we few to the city, he brought me down, and forced me to never run away or he would kill my dad. I couldn't even tell anybody else about the agreement we had. I'm practically his _slave_!"

The conduit felt his gut twist and squirm in his belly, and he could feel absolute rage fill his entire being. He knew now, without a doubt, that Magma was the real monster in this world. However, before he even began to think of the many ways to kill the red dragon, Lemon fell to the stone floor, crying full force. The electric man's angry intentions died immediately, and he grew very sad at her despair.

When she had some control over herself, which wasn't much, the yellow dragoness looked up at Cole's face with regret and misery. "Please," she pleaded with a whimper, "Don't tell anyone! I don't know if my father is alive or not, but I don't want to take that chance. Please, please, _please_, don't do anything to get him killed!"

The electric man was the type to see out justice to every idiot who thought they could get away with a crime. In this situation, it seemed he would have to ignore it outright. The conduit gave a furious groan, as he stood up, clutching his head harder then ever before.

"How can I just ignore this!?" he demanded, "I have more than enough reason to just kill him where he stands!"

"Because you will be killed or my dad will. Either way, I can't let it happen," she cried, facing the ground again, "I just can't."

Though Cole was against it, he knew he didn't have any say in this. If he did anything, it could put her father in jeopardy, and she would never forgive him if he did that. With reluctance over whelming him, the conduit gave a single depressed exhalation. "Alright, alright," he said, just barely louder than a whisper, "I won't do anything that would hurt your dad."

Lemon calmed down almost instantly, evident by the small smile that was able to creep onto her face. "Thank you," she managed to get out, "Thank you so much."

Cole closed his eyes, still feeling huffy, "Yeah, well, I don't have much choice."

The yellow dragoness didn't say anything to his response. Instead, Cole felt something warm press against his face. He instinctively opened his eyes, and was instantly stunned by what he saw.

Lemon was kissing him on the cheek.

Cole could feel his legs shake slightly, and his heart stopped suddenly. She was kissing him, why would she do that? The conduit's breathing started to escalate, his eyes growing wide with each passing second. For some reason, the kiss felt... right. Like it was destined to be like this.

Eventually, Lemon pulled away, her face flushed with embarrassment. The whole ordeal lasted only 3 seconds, but Cole felt like it was a full minute. He pulled his hand over the skin that she had kissed as she looked away, abashed. Had that really happened? Cole knew that it did, but his brain was quick to disagree.

With his head full of questions, and his lungs suddenly out of his control, Cole couldn't say a thing, his mouth hanging open in shock. Seeing his aghast expression, Lemon didn't say anything as well, leaving the two in an awkward silence.

At that moment, footsteps could be heard from the room's only door. The yellow dragoness instantly pushed Cole through the window, making the conduit jerk in surprise. He was able to grab a ledge just below the window before he plummeted to the bottom, and gave a sigh of relief.

"Ancestors, you wouldn't believe how my father was at dinner," Cole could hear Magma through the open window. Though the conduit would've loved to jump right back in and take out the dragon, he had a promise to keep.

"Now," Magma continued with a bored voice, "Let's go another round before we head to sleep."

"Y-Yes, Magma," Lemon replied meekly. Cole realized what the red dragon met, and it did not help the conduit in keeping his cool. After a few deep breaths, however, he kept himself in check. Not wanting to hear Magma being pleasured by a girl who deserved much more, Cole released his hand hold and used his thrusters to hover to the buildings below harmlessly.

Though he had promised not to tell anybody, she didn't say he could not investigate the "agreement" for himself. When he landed on one of the buildings below, he took off for the city wall. He already had a plan. Sadly, however, the thought of Magma had completely driven the memory of the kiss with Lemon.

unknown to anybody, however, Flame and Ember had listened in on the conversation with the two before the interruption on the roof of the room. Not only were they guilty for eavesdropping, but they also felt sadness for knowing such an evil dragon for so long.

They thought they knew Magma, but it seemed like they had just met him today. Looking at each other, mouths agape, they tried to grasp what they had heard, but the two dragons couldn't wrap their minds around it.

Magma really was the monster.

* * *

**I felt really sad when writing this, but I'm thinking you all are really mad at one particular red dragon. Oh man, I have great intentions for this story, just you guys wait. Well, that's basically all you can really do, besides review of course.**


	9. Chapter 9: End of the Line

**Oh boy, are you guys in for a ride.**

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**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 9: End of the Line**

Night has fallen over the Kingdom of Dragunov, yet the city was still wide awake. Many dragons are still roaming about on business, though there are fewer than before. Spyro and Cynder was two of them, strolling through the market district of the city.

It has been an hour since Cole left them to talk to Lemon, and they began to wonder if they would see him again at all tonight. Though that may be the case, the market allowed the pair to discover multiple items of medium interest. Cynder was more into examining the unique stock on display than Spyro, for his mind was in another place.

'I wonder how Cole is doing,' Spyro thought to himself, watching Cynder jump from one market stall to the next. 'I hope he doesn't lose his top around Magma again. I know he's a major pain in the tail, but we can't afford to jeopardize the trade.'

Unbeknownst to him, Cynder was just as concerned as Spyro was, and only kept up the curious demeanor for the sake of hiding her worry. After all, nothing _too_ bad could happen to Cole, right? Who was she kidding, bad things _always_ happen to Cole.

Spyro took a long sigh, and gave a thorough scan of his surroundings. Cynder was looking over a trinket stall a little away, and he found himself standing by a fountain in the middle of a square. He looked at the rippling water, the stars sparkling inside, as the center of the structure rained down the liquid back into the pool. His reflection stared back, showing his emotions to himself, and he wasn't exactly happy at the moment.

"Hey, Spyro," Cynder's voice called softly, forcing him to break his gaze and turn towards her. She was holding up her right wrist, allowing a bracelet to dangle from it. The bracelet was very stylish, with colorful beads and bits of leather attached to it. Around her neck was a simple silver necklace, but what made it special was the small round Amethyst that hung limp on her chest.

Spyro could only give a sad smile; He knew she was trying to cheer him up, but his heart just wasn't into it. Cynder noticed his sorrow expression, and brought her paw back to the ground, worry etched into her features. "Spyro," she whispered delicately, "I know what you're thinking; I'm worried too. But Cole can handle himself."

She gave a small smile, "It's not like he's going to start an inter-city incident."

Before Spyro could even think of a reply, a proud and loud voice boomed from above. "Spyro! Cynder!" the voice called with a joyous tone, "We finally found you."

The two looked up, and their eyes widened in shock. In the sky, slowly hovering to the ground, was the guardians. Why were they here? Did something come up in Warfang? As the guardians landed in front of the two, they still did not drop their stunned faces.

"Terrador, Cyril, Volteer," Spyro exclaimed in wonder, glancing at each Guardian in turn. "What are you guys doing here?"

"forgetting someone?" Another voice rung out right at Spyro's side. When he faced in that direction, Spyro was face to face with his step-brother, Sparx, earning another startled jump from him.

"Sparx? Wha- What are you doing here?" Spyro asked, his tone failing to hide his surprise.

"We came here to tell you-" Sparx started.

"Sparx! I said I was going to tell him," Volteer whined, looking distraught.

"Okay, okay," Sparx groaned, "Sheesh."

Volteer, looking pleased with himself, announced, "We are here to host the 'Year of the Dragon' festivities in the Kingdom of Dragunov!"

"Year of the Dragon?" Cynder questioned with a raised brow, "Isn't that when the eggs hatch?"

"Yes, yes," Cyril waved off, wanting to rush past the explanations, "Every year it happens, but this time, it would be the first that we actually held the ceremonial party."

"I guess we couldn't have it before because of Malefor?" Spyro guessed with a smirk.

Terrador gave a grin at his quip, and answered, "You would assume correctly, Spyro."

"A ceremonial party, huh?" Cynder mused, tapping her chin with a claw, "It would be a first for me. Plus, Cole could find time to relax a little."

At the mention of the conduit, the Guardians and Sparx focused their gazes away awkwardly, determined not to look at Spyro or Cynder directly. The two young dragons were confused by their behavior, and looked to each other before facing the group again.

"What's wrong with bringing Cole?" Spyro asked, his heart growing heavy at its own accord.

"Well," Cyril drawled, glancing at the sky, "Technically, the 'Year of the Dragon' party is only for dragons. So..."

"Cole can't come?!" Cynder concluded in disbelief, causing Spyro to behave the same. "But he's our friend. Surely we can make an exception."

Terrador shook his head, "I'm truly sorry, but no other species is allowed to attend. It's been that way for generations."

Spyro stared at the Guardians, hoping they were joking. When they did not take back what they said, Spyro sighed while facing the floor. Cole can never seem to catch a break.

"Wait," Cynder suddenly said, "When is this party supposed to begin?"

"Tomorrow," Volteer replied with a grin.

"But how are we supposed to set up a party before then?"

"You don't have to. We already sent a letter a few hours after you left to notify the king. He should have everything covered."

Spyro had another question, "So, why didn't you tell us before?"

"To be honest," Terrador responded with a chuckle, "we forgot. The arrival of Cole had driven the thoughts of the festivities from our minds. It wasn't until after you left that we remembered."

Spyro nodded, satisfied with the answer, but was still a tad heart broken. Cole deserved to have a party, more than anybody really. Yet he was excluded from it, just because he was not a dragon. Spyro hoped he didn't take it personally.

"Guys, hey guys!" a familiar voice called directly above the group. Everyone looked up with confusion, and barely jumped back in time to have Uranium land in the middle of everyone. "I finally found you!"

"Uranium?!" Spyro and Cynder gasped in bewilderment.

"Oh boy," Sparx expressed with an eye roll, "This I got to hear."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The night was still hard pressed as Cole walked through the rocky wasteland that bordered the Kingdom of Dragunov. In his hands was a map he had acquired, without permission, and was using to navigate the rather confusing landscape. Luckily, since the stars were out, he could easily find North and in turn find the other cardinal directions.

His destination was specifically written on the map, though it took a bit of logic to figure out what exactly was his destination. It was obviously Lemon's old farm, but she did not say what it was called. Thankfully, Cole recalled that Lemon's father loved lemons, and so headed for the place called 'Lemon Orchard.'

The area wasn't too far away, or at least, that's what Cole thought when he studied the map, but applying the force to get there, it was much further away. Still, it allowed him to look over the recent events. Though what he learned about Magma still raged within him, Cole couldn't help but think of the kiss he had gotten from Lemon. It had sprouted questions he couldn't dream of answered himself. What did it mean? Or was it meaningless? Did she like him as more than a friend, or was it normal here in this world?

Shaking his head, Cole could only stay on one solid fact, but even that raised questions as well: he had liked the kiss. Was it the passion to fall in love all over again? Was it just a fling that would wear off in time? He didn't know, but he wished with all his might that he did.

Cole's trek lasted only two hours, but it felt longer for him as he mulled over his confusing thoughts. However, when he saw the trees in the distance, he gave a wide grin and ran the rest of the way. This was his chance to help Lemon, someone he may or may not love, and get her out of Magma's 'agreement'.

The closer he came to the orchard of trees, the more put off Cole was. The trees were dark, even in the middle of night they were... different. They were blackened, and lifeless. Cole's experience with fire said it all.

The orchard had been burned down.

The sight wasn't pretty, and Cole had a disturbing feeling that there was more to this picture. The lifeless husks that were once trees stood firm, yet had the lingering sense of depression. Cole walked through, looking around in wonder at the scenery. Maybe he had went to the wrong farm; Perhaps this was just an old abandoned one that was left to rot.

He couldn't contemplate further as he had arrived at the heart of the orchard, the house. Though it did not share the burnt qualities of the surrounding trees, it was still as bad. It featured many symptoms of neglect, with the old wooden boards being the most prominent. It was a simple single story wooden house, with a chimney and a nice front porch.

Cole stepped onto the porch, noting how the boards under his feet creaked from his weight. "What happened here?" he asked himself, glancing around again. Facing the door, he walked up and knocked politely, half-expecting someone to answer. There was no answer, so he knocked again, his uneasiness rising.

Maybe he really was in the wrong place, it would make sense. Perhaps there was another lemon orchard, and it was just a coincidence that this one was one as well. Shrugging, Cole turned around and prepared to take off to search for the other farm, but his first step stopped him.

He had stepped on something, and when he retracted his foot, he found that it was an old sign that he had missed. With a hint of interest, Cole bent down and picked it up, examining the inscription on it. The result was a half-chuckle and half-grimace when he read it: _Lemon was here_.

It may have been another coincidence, after all, it was a lemon orchard. However, it all felt wrong, and Cole knew something wasn't right. Besides, what harm could befall him if he just had a look around?

Dropping the sign on the floor, Cole looked at the door again with a piercing glare. The more he learned of this place, the more curious he became, and in the end, it had won over his judgement.

Cole opened the door, the wood creaking as he did so. Nobody had attacked him outright, so that was a plus. But when he peered inside, his stomach did a flip. The inside smelled terrible, yet familiar. It was death, or more accurately, the smell of decaying flesh. Instantly, thoughts of the worst flooded Cole's mind, but he pushed them back, still thinking that there was a chance.

"Hello?" Cole called out into the dark interior, but no one answered, "I'm coming in."

He pushed the door open completely, and what little light was outside flew inside. The room was a basic living room, with a sofa and rug. Opposite the couch was a fireplace, though Cole already suspected that. He walked in carefully, looking around with uncertainty.

'Alright, where to start,' he thought looking at three doors that no doubt lead to different parts of the house. 'Let's try door number one.'

Approaching the door, Cole pushed open the door, cautious as to what he might find. When the door was fully open, he jumped back in horror and in slight fright.

In the room, on top of a filthy bed, was a decomposing skeleton. It was in the shape of a dragon and must have been a few weeks old, with what Cole knew of dead bodies. Maggots and flies crawled around in what meat was left, causing Cole to gag involuntarily.

He definitely knew he was in the wrong place know; Lemon's dad wouldn't be dead, and the farm wouldn't be in this state. He made to turn back around, but a black book on a night stand by the bed caught his eye.

'Couldn't hurt to look,' he thought as he picked it up. The book was a lot thicker than he thought, and it was styled with a single yellow letter: N. With a grunt regarding the strange format of the cover, Cole opened it and saw how large the writing was. Strange, but he didn't have a right to judge.

Cole brought the book back outside to the front porch, to escape the foul smell of the body. He took a seat, leaning his back against the wall, reopened the book, and began to read.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_+I haven't been feeling well for a while now, bored out of my mind. Thankfully, my daughter keeps me company, and she was even nice enough to get me a journal. Better than nothing I suppose, but I hope she didn't have to steal it. We aren't exactly rich here at the farm._

_+I asked Lemon how she was handling the orchard without me, and she said it was fine. I could tell she was lying, she looked terribly tired and dirty. I pray to the ancestors that I recover quickly. I can't stand to have my only daughter to work for an old dragon like me._

_+I can't believe it, there are healers here. They only told me that Magma had sent them, but that was enough. Lemon must have told the prince our predicament, and he sent help. I could finally help my daughter again!_

_+The healers told me that the cure they gave me wasn't permanent, but as long as I don't work to hard, I should be fine. Lemon won't let me down, but I fear that I might let _her _down. What's strange is that I haven't seen my daughter since she tended the orchard the other day. She must be getting some relaxation over at the Kingdom of Dragunov. She deserves it._

_+Lemon is still not here, but I'm not worried. Who knows maybe she met a nice dragon there, ancestors forbid. The work here is not too bad, I'm trying not to work too hard though. Lemon will be here soon, and we can work together, just like old times._

_+Work is starting to get harder for me, but I can't let Lemon down. She's still on her vacation, and I wish I could join her. She could at least send letters on how she's doing. I miss her so much, even though she will probably return tomorrow, for all I know._

_+Okay, now I'm scared. I haven't heard from Lemon for nearly three days. It's probably just my parental side jumping to conclusions, but at this point, I don't care. I just want to know that my little girl is alright. I'll wait one more day, then I'm heading for the city. I wonder what it's like there now-a-days._

_+I can't believe it, I'm still in shock over what happened. I was about to head out with some supplies, then I see Magma flying over head. At first, I thought he was here to tell me that Lemon was fine. But he didn't fly down. Instead, he set the orchard on fire. Before I could comprehend what he had done, I saw the dragon flying away. Naturally, I tried to give chase, but at the worst possible time, my sickness kicked in again. I'm practically paralyzed, and I barely had the energy to get back in my bed. I have no choice but to wait for Lemon to come home._

_+It's been awhile since I wrote in this, but nothing has really changed. Lemon is still gone, the orchard is still gone. The only new thing that popped up is that I'm out of food, all the reserves we kept has run dry. In a few days, I'm going to starve, if I survive that long with this stupid sickness of mine._

_+I can hardly write now. I feel so weak, and I'm so hungry. I don't think I'm going to make it another day. Even if I do, I don't think I would be able to write. If anyone gets this, please find my daughter, Lemon, and tell her I love her. She's an electric dragoness with yellow scales and pink underbelly. But if you are reading this, Lemon, know that I will always be with you forever. I hope nothing happened to you, and I hope you live a good life._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole could only sit there on the front porch, as the sun began to climb over the horizon, clutching the book tightly with shaking hands. Tears were falling down his face, but he didn't care in the slightest. Newfound anger was boiling in him, and he wanted more than anything to rip Magma to ribbons.

Magma had killed Lemon's father, and he had died worrying about his daughter, the only love he had left. If it wasn't bad enough, Lemon was completely oblivious to the whole thing. She has no idea what has happened to her father, hell, Cole was the only one who _did_ know, besides that bastard Magma.

Standing up while dropping the book on the ground, Cole was about to take off back to the city, but he realized something else. The rotting corpse in the house was Lemon's dad, it had to be. He really did die in his bed. More tears forced themselves out of Cole's eyes, as he tried to dry them hastily.

He knew what he had to do.

Cole walked back inside the house, ignoring the putrid smell that was still present. With great speed, he searched through the house, turning over much of the furniture. Then, in a closet, he had found what he was looking for: a shovel.

He went back outside, his body feeling numb from what he was about to do as he went to the side of the house. Holding the shovel properly in his hands, he sunk the spade into the earth, and began to dig. His fury and sorrow drove him forward as he overturned the dirt with no sign of slowing down. In no time, Cole had dug a shallow grave, one that would have been fine for a dog, but a dragon was another story.

With reluctance tugging at his heart, Cole walked back inside, head hung low, until he had arrived back in the room with the skeleton. With a shaky sigh, Cole gathered up the bones and what was left of the flesh, ignoring the impulse to empty his lunch, and shuffled back outside.

When he arrived back at his poor excuse for a grave, Cole slowly placed the dragon skeleton in the hole, closing his eyes tightly as he did so. When everything was set, Cole grabbed the shovel again, and began to fill the grave. Cole felt terrible for how he was treating this poor dragon's remains, but it was the best he could do.

When it was finished, he tossed the shovel with a little more force than necessary, and ran into the orchard. He grabbed two fallen branches, one long and one short, and made his way back to the grave.

With a little string Cole still had in his pack, he strung the two sticks together, forming a cross. And without hesitation, he stabbed the cross into the head of the grave. With his work done, Cole stood up and took a few steps back examining his work. More tears came, but it was for a different reason; from a memory.

He had buried Trish the very same way.

Even when he was in a different dimension, death still followed him. Though he was not responsible in any way for this dragon's death, he still had the huge sadness of having death appear all around him. He stood there over the grave for what felt like hours, crying his eyes out.

He realized, with a long sigh, that there was still one last thing to do. He dragged his feet as he walked back to the porch, grabbing the sign that Lemon had written on and the journal. When he was back at the grave, he bent down with both items in hand, and set the sign against the cross. It just felt right.

"I'm not much for words," Cole said quietly, taking a seat in front of the grave "Hell, I don't even know you personally. But... I'm sure you were a great guy. Lemon always spoke fondly of you, and... and..."

Cole dipped his head low, thinking about what else he could say. There was something else, "I promise you... I will get Lemon free from that asshole... I'll take care of her, I... promise."

He would've said more, but he had nothing. Sometimes words can't describe what you feel, or even what you think. Nevertheless, Cole had a few words left to say.

"If there's something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action," Cole cited with dispair, "I guess Jefferson wasn't too far from the truth."

With that said, Cole pushed himself to his feet, put the book in his sling bag, and walked determinately back the way he came. It was already midday, and it was going to be a long walk. Cole didn't care, he only cared about getting to Lemon, and stopping Magma.

"Don't pray for easy lives..." Cole whispered, his eyes furrowing deeply, "but to be... stronger men."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As every dragon knew, the 'Year of the Dragon' was a time when all the dormant eggs would all hatch. It was a momentous occasion, one that deserved celebration. Though, for Spyro and Cynder, they have never got the chance to do so, but many other dragons did.

The most important part, besides the hatching of the eggs, was the grand ceremonial party. It was the most popular and well known among the dragons, and anybody who is highly respected is there. This includes kings, guardians, rich folk, scientists, and world-saving dragons.

It was night time yet again in the Kingdom of Dragunov, and the party was in full swing, though a few didn't really show it. Admittedly, Spyro wasn't having much fun, most of the dragons were stuck up, and there was nothing much to do but talk. He was a dragon of action, not conversing. Still, he had Cynder with him, and Sparx as well. He would've added Lemon to that list, but she hasn't left Magma's side since the party started. This added a spark of angry in him, but he knew he couldn't do a thing.

Spyro took the large amount of time given to him to look around for a change. The party was held in the royal throne area, the ceiling decorated with stung ribbons of various colors. Where the thrones were was a long table, filled with food of all kinds, and each person in their respected seats, chatting or otherwise. Most of the other visitors were standing idly around, talking with one another.

"Oh my gosh," Sparx moaned, his hands covering his face in annoyance, "This is so boring!"

"Calm down, Sparx," Spyro scolded, though he wanted to agree with him. He wished Cole was here. At least then it would he could be bored with him.

Cynder, wearing her newly purchases trinkets, was inclined to say the same, but she was looking over at Lemon with a hint of sadness. At his throne, Magma was eating anything he could get his claws on, making Cynder shake her head irritably. She wished Lemon would just leave him.

Uranium was with the group as well, but was much to fascinated with talking with other scholars then to participate with his friends; Once a genius, always a genius.

"So," Sparx suddenly piped up, rubbing his chin, "Learn anything new about your friend?"

"Cole?" Spyro guessed, knowing that he had already told Sparx everything he knew about Uranium, "Well, just that there is a monster much worse than him that nearly destroyed his world."

"Oh, well that's good to- say what now!?"

Cynder giggled, glad that she had the company of Spyro and Sparx to keep her humored. At that moment, the Guardians came over, their scales freshly polished.

"Spyro, Cynder," Volteer exclaimed, beaming, "You must tell me everything about Cole. I never got the chance to study him."

Spyro raised a brow, wondering even where to begin, "I'm not exactly the one you should be asking. I'm sure Cole can fill you in."

Flame and Ember came over to group, adding to the numbers. "I would like to know as well," Ember announced, "He really is... different."

Spyro glanced at eager faces, each wanting to know more about this character from a different dimension. When he faced Cynder, he saw her amused expression, and she gave a nod, thinking the same.

"Alright, well... Cole's unique, he never backs down when others are in trouble. He also is sort of secretive, but he does it to protect others mostly."

"What about his morals?" Terrador questioned, growing fascinated about the conduit. "Where does he stand in his own world?"

"He was a courier at first," a few members of the group chuckled, "But... then he was in this blast." That shut everybody up.

"Blast?" Cyril asked in disbelief, "And he survived? Doesn't seem like the type."

Cynder jumped in, "Well he did, and now he is just a nice heroic person who just wants a better life for everyone."

"Sounds like a fairy tale to me," Sparx commented, crossing his arms.

"It kind of is, isn't it?" Spyro admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "But without a doubt, Cole wouldn't hurt anybody who doesn't deserve it."

At that very moment, muffled grunts and yelps mixed with clanking could be heard outside the main entrance. Everyone stopped what they were doing instantly, ceasing the noise of talking. Even Dragunov and Magma halted in their food consumption to stare at the door in perplexity.

The strange noises continued for a few more seconds until it was abruptly cut off. The patrons all looked at each other, confirming if it had really happened. Even Spyro and Cynder were becoming nervous as to what the commotion was.

Then the doors burst open, forcing everyone to gaze at the person responsible with a gasp. Cole stood there, breathing hard, with his Amp clutched in his right hand. The moon light was flowing ominously in the room, giving him a scary silhouette appearance, especially with his down cast face.

Many of the party goers, began to whisper frantically to one another.

"Who is that?"

"Is that the monster from earlier?"

"Why is _he _here?"

While everyone judged Cole right off the bat, it took a few seconds for everyone else to find out he wasn't alone. With wide eyes, the visitors to the party could see many guards behind Cole, all unconscious. This made the King take action immediately, his face contorted with anger, "Cease him and lock him up!"

Two guards charged towards Cole, but he didn't even flinch from the oncoming resistance. When the closest one was within range, Cole uppercutted him into the air with his Amp. Then, using his lightning tether, he attached it to the guard, and shot towards him. With an electric kick, Cole sent the guard flying and crash against a pillar.

When Cole landed himself, the other guard tried to take him by using his ice breath. However, Cole blocked it with his ice shield, and then ran straight for the guard. Cole swung his Amp across the guard's face, and when he recoiled, Cole picked him up using his Kinetic Pulse and tossed him against another pillar.

Everyone watched the fight with mouths agape; completely shocked by Cole's skill. No one had thought him capable of taking down two royal guards, especially with nothing more than a metal rod. Even Spyro and Cynder were stunned, not understanding Cole's behavior.

With the guards finished, Cole stood a few seconds to catch his breath, still looking menacing. Then he turned, glaring daggers at Magma with gritted teeth, but put his focus on the king instead. Cole advanced toward him, still gripping his Amp. Thinking that he had snapped, Flame and Ember jumped in between them, sliding into a combat stance.

"Stop, Cole," Flame demanded, "I thought you were different, but I guess-"

"Shut up!" Cole roared, putting his Amp on his pack and swinging his arm to the side for emphasis Everyone jumped from his shout, and nobody uttered a word. The Guardians were even hesitant to stop the conduit on his rampage.

Before anybody could recover, Cole reached into his pack and brought out the journal he found at the farm. When it was in view, Lemon squinted, thinking she had seen it before. Without warning, he barged past Flame and Ember who were taken back by his forced entry.

When he was in front of the king, who had his eyes narrowed, Cole slammed the book on the table, causing plates and such to topple over. Leaning in, Cole whispered five words: "Magma is a goddamn monster."

Dragunov did not move a muscle, his eyes trained on Cole. "What proof do you have?" he scoffed, "A mere book will get you no where."

"Just read it," Cole ordered with a glare, taking a few steps back.

Magma rolled his eyes, "This monster is obviously delusional. We should've locked him up sooner. Look what he had done to our guards, father."

"Cole," Spyro called with anxiety, straining his voice, "Just stop; You don't want to do this."

"Yes I do," Cole responded with malice, "Not for me... but for Lemon."

Lemon jerked her head back at her name being mentioned. What does Cole have that involved her? She hoped he wasn't going to do anything that would affect her father. Magma rolled his eyes, giving a sneer afterwards at Cole.

"You really are pathetic, aren't you? What can you do for Lemon, huh? It's not like she's your girlfriend," Magma said his chin raised in dominance.

Cole clenched his hands until the knuckled were white, using all his will force to not kill Magma right there and then. "You piece of shit," Cole spat, "You think that just because you're a prince, that you can get away with anything."

"Because I can," Magma replied with a grin, causing Cole grip his head painfully, wishing he could end him. He took a few deep breaths, however, and cracked his knuckles.

"No you can't," Cole responded, "Especially after you _killed, Lemon's, father_!"

This time, everyone was absolutely taken back, the silence almost deafening. Lemon took it the worst, beads of water at the edges of her eyes. She closed them to hide her sadness.

"Stop Cole," She whimpered, looking away from Cole, "Just stop, you don't know what you're talking about."

Spyro and Cynder looked at Cole with both fear and confusion. Cole's figure softened, his body sagging slightly. "Lemon-" he started quietly.

"No!" She shouted, a few flecks of tears falling off, "My father isn't dead! He can't be!"

"But Magma-"

"Don't tell anybody, Cole! Please!"

Magma's smile slide into a frown when he heard her say that, his own anger slowly coming on. "What are you talking about?" He whispered dangerously.

When she realized her slip up, she fumbled with her words, looking to the floor in angst. "I-I... W-Well..."

"Hey!" Cole yelled out, regaining Magma's attention, and pointed a finger at him, "Leave her alone, you monster."

"You keep using that word," Magma mocked, his smile coming back, "But I'm not the monster here."

"Oh really," Dragunov suddenly put in. The watching audience, along with Cole and Magma looked over to him in. In his claws, Dragunov had the black book that Cole had brought, and he looked distant as he peered into it.

"What is this?" he asked Magma as he glared at him, holding up the book.

"I don't under-"

"What is this!?" Dragunov suddenly bellowed, standing up. "In this, it is written that you burned down a lemon orchard after you helped the dragon. And afterwards, that same dragon died from starvation!"

As Cole turned towards Magma, he had to suppress a chuckle. For the first time since he came here, he saw Magma actually pale with wide eyes. However, he quickly regained his composure, clearing his throat.

"How ridiculous," he answered, giving a nervous chuckle, "For all we know, Cole could've written in it. It would be something he would-"

"Stop lying to me!" Dragunov furiously screamed, "I know this handwriting, because my greatest friend is exactly the same; Navitas."

The stylish golden 'N' on the book made sense to Cole. It was the initial of Lemon's father's name. Still, Cole gave a sigh of relief; He was afraid that even with the journal, that the king wouldn't believe his claims.

Magma stood speechless, his whole world crumbling before him. However, it seemed to be drowned out by Lemon's devastated expression. She was beginning to breathe faster, her heart beat quickening. Then, without warning, her legs gave out, and she began to sob.

Cole's heart stopped momentarily when he saw her in this state. Seeing her cry like that made him depressed. He wished he didn't have to share this bad news to her, but it had to be done.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Dragunov asked, his eyes filled with the flame of rage.

"That I think it's high time I get out of here," Magma quickly shot back. Before anyone could comprehend the meaning of those words, Magma took flight and crashed through the stain-glass window behind the thrones.

Cole's rage returned just as quickly, and he was about to run after him with the intention to take him out for doing something so cowardly. However, Spyro had jumped in front of him, blocking him from the chase. He tried to push past him, but Spyro held firm, shoving Cole back with equal strength.

"Get out of me way!" Cole shouted, using more force to get around Spyro.

"Let it go, Cole!" Spyro requested, keeping him at bay, "We can get him another time."

"No!" Cole yelled, seething in anguish, "Do you know what he did!? He killed Lemon's father! He killed him! He doesn't deserve to live!"

As Cole threw his tantrum, Cynder made her way to Lemon's side, comforting her the best that she could by putting a wing over her. After awhile, Cole had tired himself out, as he backed down from Spyro, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Lemon..." he whispered, falling to his hands and knees, head hung low, "Lemon at least deserves that much..."

Spyro bowed his head down in equal misery, wishing that as well. But if Cole had gone after him, Spyro was afraid that he would truly lose himself to darkness. Everyone could only stare with disbelieving faces, hoping that this whole ordeal was just one big nightmare.

Cole the most.

* * *

**I've been waiting to write this chapter for a while. I hope I did well. So now what do you think of Magma, hmm? I enjoy your rants about killing him, they're pretty good.**


	10. Chapter 10: Repercussions

**Just to be clear to everyone, I will not abandon this story. I will try to update sooner. Now, for this chapter, I suggest you play the saddest music you know. Trust me on this. If you don't want to, you don't have to, but you're missing out. Also, huge thanks to Legion222 for editing this chapter. Seriously, this chapter would be a lot worse if he didn't proofread it!**

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**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 10: Repercussions**

The night had passed and it was morning at the Kingdom of Dragunov. Though many hardly noticed as a thick fog rolled in out of nowhere, and blocked out the sun. However, the weather wasn't on anyone's mind.

The incident at last night's 'Year of the Dragon' party had spread through the whole kingdom and it was all anyone could talk about. The complete story changed from dragon to dragon, but everyone got the basic gist of it: Magma had killed Lemon's father and had escaped custody.

King Dragunov was not happy at all; ordering his guards to scour the local area for Magma after the initial shock had been swept away. The guards did as they were told, but found no evidence of his whereabouts, and believed he had left the city.

Flame wasn't too surprised by Magma's evilness, having listened to Lemon's side of the story already. However, he was still dumbfounded that his own brother would commit such atrocities. Flame had lived with him his whole life, and yet he was blind to the fact that he was a malicious monster. He tried to keep his disappearance a secret to his little brother, Kindling, but his innocent questions and persistence wore on him heavily.

His girlfriend, Ember, was effected just as heavily as Flame was, but she took it a lot harder. She had been friends with Lemon for a long time, and it was heart breaking to learn that she was forced to come in the first place. It was even harder to believe that the sole reason she had come willingly, to protect her father, was in vain. It was a tragedy all on its own.

These were Spyro's thoughts as he watched the landscape upon the cobblestone wall that surrounded the Kingdom of Dragunov. He had gathered as much information as he could to build a convincing story to tell the citizens of the city. It proved unnecessary, in the end, as the citizens quickly learned of the ordeal. Thinking about it further, Spyro probably did it just to keep his own feelings distant, to not be distracted. However, as he watched lightning blink in and out in the mist, he knew he should have done something different.

Cynder was with Spyro as well, her eyes focused on the mist where Cole was currently residing. Though she wished she could help in some way, she didn't know what to exactly do. When looking around, she noticed that she wasn't the only one looking beyond the large city wall.

Lemon, the Guardians, Sparx, Uranium, Flame, Ember, the guards, and many others watched from the sidelines as Cole released his rage within the dense fog, the boom of thunder and the flash of lightning the only indicator that he was still very upset with what had happened at the party.

Cole shot out multiple electric rockets at a harmless boulder, shattering it into smaller rocks and pebbles. How could he just let Magma get away, especially after what he had done to Lemon? He deserved more than death; to suffer for his sins. Cole's anger flared up again and he threw a few electric grenades into another boulder, blowing it up as well.

Magma had done terrible acts to a seemingly innocent dragoness, one that did not merit being treated in such a cruel manner. She was a poor pawn in Magma's plan, one that Cole couldn't even begin to fathom, nor did he really care to. He should have done something, _anything_, just to kill him, to get revenge for Lemon. But he didn't. He had let him go.

Cole was too furious to think clearly as to why he had not gone after Magma. But he blamed himself for everything: for not doing something sooner, for not killing Magma, for letting him get away.

Multiple scenarios ran through his head, wondering what the outcomes might have been. It did little to quench his anger, though, and he ground his teeth as his body began pulsing with electricity. He released an electric pulse, emitting a shock wave of energy. It tore apart the surrounding boulders to pieces, leaving nothing left.

How was he to make amends with Lemon? Did she hate him now? Cole had left for the night a little after Magma's escape, and he hadn't run into her this morning. Was it a coincidence that he didn't see her, or was she purposely avoiding him? If the latter was true, Cole felt like he deserved it. It was all his fault...

Fury was boiling inside him yet again, and Cole had the sudden urge to discharge his powers. As his body became laced with energy, he threw his arms out to the side, and a surge of lightning fell from the sky, striking the ground in front of him. Cole held it as he yelled out in anguish, using up all his reserves, both in terms of electricity and mental capacity.

When the lightning had faded, leaving only a dark spot where it had struck, Cole fell to his knees, his arms hanging idly by his side. As he gazed up at the fog that surrounded him, his mind somewhat blank now, he heard the wing beats of an approaching dragon.

The dragon landed behind him, but Cole continued to face the ground, already knowing who it was. "Cole..." the calm, sad voice of Lemon called out.

Cole didn't answer, staying exactly where he was. Lemon didn't know what to say from there, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly. The time seemed to tick away slowly as the two sat in silence, waiting for the other to speak.

"It's all my fault," Cole whispered at last, causing Lemon to perk her head slightly at his tone; it was one of remorse. "He did all those things to you... and I just let him get away."

Lemon closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that were beginning to sting. She could vividly remember the night before like it had occurred a mere hour ago, how the revelation of the fate of her father brought her nothing but sorrow. Lemon was glad to finally know how he was, but also wished she had never been told.

"I gave him a burial," Cole stated, "A pathetic one, but it was the best I could do."

Since that morning, Lemon had had many questions about her father. She was too fearful to ask Cole, afraid that the answer would put her more into depression than before.

"Please don't ask me what happened to your dad," Cole requested pitifully, staring ahead of him. "Don't put me in that situation."

Lemon's voice died in her throat as she was about to protest; though she was desperate to find out the full details pertaining to her father, she also didn't want to know.

"I don't blame you, Cole," Lemon announced shakily, the tears finally sliding down her cheeks. "You couldn't have done anything to-"

"Yes I could have!" Cole shouted, clenching his fists as Lemon flinched from the outburst. "I could have... I could have..."

Cole sighed; he had to face it. He wouldn't have been able to do a damn thing. He was weak and worthless, and he knew it; or at least that was what he was telling himself. Tears were brimming on his eyes, and he hastily rubbed them away with his arm, forcing himself not to break down.

Lemon carefully walked to his right side, watching his features slowly reveal themselves to her. On instinct, Cole looked the other way, not wanting Lemon to see him in his current state.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Lemon inquired quietly, her lip quivering as more tears were falling from her face. "You've done nothing wrong."

"I... I just..." Cole stuttered, trying to come up with a reason for his guilty conscious. As he mulled it over, he could only come up with one explanation for his actions; one that he thought he had already gotten over.

"You remind me so much of Trish," Cole admitted, leaning his hands on the ground in despair. "You're kind, compassionate, and think of others before yourself. And then there's me, the guy who failed both of you."

Lemon now knew his bane, why he was in so much pain. That acknowledgement, however, did nothing to stop the stream of tears.

"I don't deserve to be friends with you," Cole sniffed, looking at the ground. "I couldn't save Trish, and now, I couldn't even avenge your dad. I have these powers, given to me from my future self, and yet I still can't save the ones I love."

Lemon's sadness was starting to get the better of her, not from her own sad story, but from remembering Cole's. He, too, had lost a loved one, and many of his friends along the way. Now he had her own grief to carry with him, and the very thought of that made her sob harder.

With heavy limbs, Lemon made her way over to stand in front of Cole, her thoughts clouded. Cole still looked away from her, his guilt too much for him to look her in the eye.

"I'm sorry," Cole whimpered, not able to control his sorrow any longer. "I"m so... so sorry..."

"Please... stop..." Lemon practically begged, "I can't stand... to see you like this."

"I'm sorry!" Cole shouted to the ground with a tinge of remorse, but Lemon did not back away or flinch. He was apologizing to someone besides Lemon. When Cole finally looked up to Lemon, with beads of tears on his eyes, he thought for a second that he saw Trish, in a wisp-like form, standing right beside Lemon. But with a blink of an eye, she disappeared.

He couldn't take it any longer, and openly wept in front of Lemon. He brought his hands over his eyes, rubbing them worthlessly as he sat with parallel legs. "C-Cole," Lemon stammered with cries, sitting herself in front of him, "S-Stop doing t-this to yours-self."

"Why are doing this?" Cole questioned, gaining some control of his emotions, "Why? Just tell me that."

Lemon opened her mouth to answer, but a lump formed in her throat, and only a gasp of sorrow escaped her muzzle. She had the answer, and it was really quite simple. But she was afraid of the repercussions if she told Cole. She could never tell him in his face.

But she could show him.

"Cole," she expressed firmly, but quietly, sniffling a little. Cole gave a heavy sigh, and looked up at her again, waiting for what she wanted to say. He swallowed, half-hoping she would yell at him or something as equally harsh. However, he didn't even get a chance to think as she threw her paws on his chest, and kissed him.

To say he was stunned would be an understatement; he was downright shocked by the kiss. She pressed against his lips firmly, with eyes shut tight. Cole had his eyes wide, trying and failing to comprehend the reasoning behind Lemon's action.

She was kissing so passionately that Cole was tempted to kiss back with vigor. But his thoughts were flooded with confusion and worry. He's kissing a dragon. A _dragon_. A mythological beast in his own world. This can't be normal. Even in his wrecked state, Cole could feel a lingering feeling of love towards Lemon, one that he had thought would never reemerge after the death of Trish.

When they eventually broke away, Cole could make out a blush on Lemon's face, as she faced away from him. Cole stood up, his breathing speeding up, and backed away. Lemon noticed this with slight embarrassment; she had waited for this moment for a long time, and he wasn't acting as she had hoped.

Cole didn't know what to do, or what to say. He has never been in a situation like this, and his expression said it all. Before Lemon could utter a word, Cole took off in the other direction, towards the Kingdom of Dragunov, causing her to call his name desperately. Cole didn't deter from his frantic pace, mind racing, but he wished he didn't fall to this stupid stunt.

It was far too late to just turn around and walk back. His mind had set this path for him, and this gave him the time he needed to think about what had happened. Not while he was sprinting, of course, but when he felt alone, that's when he can mull it over.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Everyone on top of the wall were frozen in their spots, waiting with bated breath on what would happen next. Cole had halted his raging mood, as no more flashes of lightning erupted from his direction. They still couldn't see because of the fog, but they could assume that he was still there. Lemon had left a few minutes ago, but there was no sign of her either.

Spyro and Cynder were beginning to grow worried for their human friend, as they weren't exactly sure what he would do in his infuriated condition. Maybe Lemon had cooled him off a little, but then again maybe not. There were so many uncertainties, and they knew very little on how Cole reacted to situations like this.

"Wait, I see something," Sparx announced to everyone. This forced everyone to squint their eyes, looking for what Sparx had pointed out. He was correct, as a silhouette of a standing figure could be seen running straight for the wall in the mist.

Soon, Cole could be seen, albeit slightly fuzzy, as he sprinted all out for the wall. Some were confused as to why he was running, others were frightened that he was about to attack them. Then, quite quickly, Cole used an Ice Launch and sent himself sailing through the air. He did a front flip at the peak of his jump, over the wall, and earned a lot of awe-stricken faces for his troubles.

Cole then used his electric tether and latched it onto a nearby building, and he zoomed straight for it. He grabbed the ledge of the building, flipped onto the roof, and continued his trip from building to building. Spyro could see that his destination was the palace tower. Why Cole was heading there was unknown to him, but perhaps it was something personal, as the King wasn't even in the palace at this time.

"Where is he going?" Cynder questioned with a doleful expression. Spyro would've answered her question, if he wasn't so deep in thought. Lemon had still not emerged from the fog, but Spyro knew for a fact that Cole would do nothing harmful to Lemon. They were so close to each other.

"Sometimes," Terrador spoke, causing many of the onlookers to face him, "the actions of a hero should not be questioned. But the product of such actions is what really matters."

"And," Cyril spoke up, and everyone's attention focused on him, "If such products of the hero's decisions are not seen, then the hero will be judged on those actions."

Everyone turned to Volteer expectantly, and he did not falter, "Most of the time, the positive aftermath is overlooked, taken for granted. And the hero is rewarded for his sacrifice with rejection."

The three guardians dipped their heads low, probably in sympathy, while Spyro and Cynder glanced back where Cole had disappeared.

"The tragedy of a true hero," Spyro muttered, though Cynder was the only one to hear him. When she did, she nuzzled up next to him, giving him whatever comfort she could. Spyro accepted it, and closed his eyes. He could feel rain starting to fall through the mist, but he didn't care; he actually was expecting it.

'It's almost as if,' he thought to himself, 'the world itself is crying.'

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole entered through the palace entrance, hastily closing it once he was inside. Behind the closed door, he could hear the drops of water that indicated rain. It was lucky that he decided to run for the tower to think over what had happened. But it was a hallow victory; Cole knew he had broken Lemon's heart when he had ran.

Cole stepped away from the double doors, walking along the red rug with no real purpose. He diverted from the rug and over to one of the stone pillars, then leaned his back against it. Cole's legs finally gave out, and he slid along the pillar to the floor, his hands against his face.

'Why did I do that?' Cole thought with his guilt growing, 'She kissed me and I just ran. She already has enough pain, and I just made it worse.'

"Damn it!" he bellowed, slamming a fist into the floor. It wasn't enough to leave a mark, but Cole's hand was throbbing from the impact. He argued with himself that she was a different species, but there was no excuse for simply running away.

At that moment, something caught Cole's eye, but it then vanished from his vision. He was sure it was behind the pillar opposite him, but to what it could be, he didn't know.

"Hello?" he said cautiously, not sure if it was a trick of the eye or another dragon. "I don't bite, if that's what you're wondering."

Nothing came out or implied that someone had heard him, so Cole guessed it was his imagination. As Cole made to stand up, a dragon did come out from behind the pillar. It showed itself carefully, and seemed to be slightly scared.

It was a young dragon, with orange scales with a yellow underbelly and horns. What really stuck out, however, was that this dragon had no wings. It was completely different from the average dragon around here, kind of like how Cole was compared to the average human. To Cole, he looked like a large lizard.

"Hey, little guy," Cole said quietly, a smile forming on his lips. The little dragon jumped back suddenly when he was acknowledged. Cole couldn't help but think how adorable the dragon was being.

"It's alright, I won't hurt you," he consoled smoothly. Though Cole had little to no experience with children, he knew how to deal with animals, though he wouldn't say that out loud. Still, the young dragon shuffled towards him slowly.

"Are you... are you the thing dad was talking to?" he questioned, his voice filled with curiosity.

"I don't know," Cole answered honestly, "Who's your dad, kid?"

"He's King of this city," the young dragon answered casually, his eyes studying every inch of Cole. This put Cole's mind to work; so this was another son of the King's? He remembered Flame mentioning someone named Kindling, could this be who he had mentioned?

"Yes, I... talked with your dad," Cole explained, "Who are you anyway?"

"I don't know if I should answer," the young dragon replied looking away bashfully. "Dad said I wasn't supposed to come near you. That you were... dangerous."

Cole sighed; The King no doubt had failed to update one of his youngest children about his position now in the city. Although, maybe the king was too afraid to explain this all to him.

"You don't have to come near me, kid," Cole commented, waving a hand idly to the side, "I just came here to... think."

"Oh, well, I'm Kindling. And what are you thinking about?" the young dragon inquired, his curiosity building.

"I... well, it's a bit complicated," Cole admitted, sitting up straight. "I'm not really from around these parts, and a friend of mine, sort of, kissed me."

"Why is that bad?" Kindling asked, tilting his head to the side.

"She's a _dragoness_," Cole emphasized, "And I'm just... a human."

"So?" the Kindling responded, "What does it matter? Unless you're afraid of cooties."

Cole reluctantly gave a chuckle; he had forgotten what kids thought of the opposite gender. The innocence of youth could never be squandered. "No, I'm not afraid of cooties," Cole smiled, leaning his head against the pillar, staring up at the darkened ceiling. "It's just that she's a different species, and I don't know what to feel towards her."

"Why should that matter?" Kindling asked, "I don't know about kissing and stuff, but maybe she doesn't care what you are."

"But that's the thing. Where I come from, we only love the same species. We don't have dragons where I'm from."

"But that shouldn't matter, should it?" Kindling questioned, "I mean, if she loves you, and if you love her back, then shouldn't that be all that matters?"

Cole blinked a few times, analyzing what Kindling had said. He was really philosophical for such a young age, but Cole guessed that they matured faster here. He was right, though. It shouldn't matter what either of them are, or what they look like. They loved each other, and that's all that should matter. Love is blind, and that fit the description perfectly.

Cole's smile widened, "You're right, kid. You're smarter than I was when I was your age."

Kindling laughed, and Cole rose from his position. He knew what he had to do now, and he was about to head for the doors when he remembered that it was raining outside. He gave a sigh, wishing it to end soon, but it was deemed unnecessary as a drenched Lemon burst through the door. She scanned the area, her expression one of worry and remorse.

"Cole," she shouted with sorrow, trotting over to him while ignoring Kindling. Cole looked down at her with sadness and bewilderment. "I'm sorry for doing that, I just... I just thought that... I won't do it again, I swear."

Now Cole felt very guilty, because now it was genuine. Her voice was rough, and her eyes were slightly bloodshot. It was apparent that she was crying quite a bit when he left. "I know you probably feel uncomfortable being near me now, but I had to apologize. I'm... I'm just so sorry."

Lemon tilted her head down, her head being too heavy to look up at him. Cole was angry at himself, how could he do this to her? He knelt down to her level, and lifted her head up to look into her eyes. Tears were brimming in her eyes, though it was hard to tell with all the water from the rain.

"I'm the one who should apologize," Cole admitted with a straight face. Before she could speak a word of complaint, Cole leaned in and kissed her. Her eyes widened at first, but then they slowly sank down until they were closed, and she pushed deeper into the kiss. Cole placed his right hand against her cheek, stroking it gently. She deserved to have love, true love. And Cole was happy to give it to her, and she gave some back as well.

When they finally pulled apart, they found themselves smiling at each other, breathing a little harder than before. Lemon was glad that Cole had reflected her love, and Cole was no different. For once, the small hole inside of Cole was filled; he definitely needed this, someone to love. After staring at each other for a while, they wrapped their arms around each other, and pulled each other into a beautiful embrace.

"Cole, Lemon!" Spyro shouted, barging in though the open doors. "Are you al-..."

Spyro gazed at the affection in wonder. He thought that Cole had run away from Lemon because of some kiss; that was what Lemon had told him and Cynder. But now, it seems they had fixed whatever relationship was broken between them. Cynder stepped next to him, a bit more delicately than Spyro, and also saw the hug that the two were sharing. She was glad that Lemon was getting some happiness in her life.

"Oh, hello Spyro and Cynder," Kindling greeted out of nowhere, walking over to them. The two didn't show their surprise, but gave a small chuckle at his cheeriness.

"Hey, Kindling," Cynder said happily, bringing her head down, "Did you help our friends?"

"Maybe?" he said, unsure himself if he had done anything at all, "I only talked with, umm, the thing."

"His name is Cole MacGrath, kid," Spyro explained with no sarcasm or anger in his voice, "And you helped him more than you know."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Milson ran through the familiar stone hallway, the dim torches flickering wildly as he did so. The news of Magma's evil nature had at last reached his ears, and he knew that his Master would want to be informed about the recent events. When he arrived at the wooden door, he did not hesitate to swing it open and rush into the room.

"Master," Milson cried out nervously, "T-There has been a, well, development."

His Master did not reply, but gave a low grunt to indicate that he was listening. "You see," Milson started, "It was discovered that Magma killed that yellow dragoness' father, and he was kicked out of the Kingdom."

The Master chuckled darkly, his laughter growing until it was borderline hysterical. "M-Master?" Milson asked in confusion.

"This is perfect," the Master finally spoke, "Now he can willingly join us, to complete my plans."

Milson was still puzzled as to the Master's meaning, and apparently he could tell as he gave an irritated sigh. "Perhaps I should explain it to you. You see, Milson, I contacted Magma in his dreams, telling him of riches and rewards he would earn if he served me. I asked him to gather me supplies to free me from my inconvenient imprisonment. The first was the claws of an old dragon, which lead him to that pathetic Lemon Orchard. Afterwards, he learned about the ill farmer there. This allowed him to get the essence of a sick dragon.

"Then, he needed to find the fumes of a burnt forest. So he burned down the Orchard. Quite nicely if you ask me. All he needs now is the blood of a sacrifice. Which I already have in my possession."

"W-Who is the sacrifice, M-Master?" Milson asked, playing with his paws anxiously.

"In due time, he will be revealed, but for now, I want you to meet Magma at the Dragon Temple."

"The one in Warfang?" Milson asked stupidly.

"No, you twit! The one in the swamps!" the Master answered angrily, causing Milson to jump back and cower. "Now go! And do not worry about Cole MacGrath and the others. They shall be dealt with soon enough."

"Y-Yes, Master!" Milson responded quickly, snapping to attention, "Right away!"

Milson turned around and sprinted down the hallway he had come through earlier. The Master chuckled darkly again, "Yes, I can feel it. I will soon be free. I, Malefor, shall come back to my physical being; and nothing will stand in my way."

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**A bit shorter than what I'm used to, but I wanted to get this out for all of you. Besides, they can't _all_ be long.**


	11. Chapter 11: Dark Tidings

_E/N: Hello, my name is Legion222. Some of you may remember that, as of Chapter 10, I am the editor of The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss. I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all how honored I am that Superdale33 (who, by the way, is totally awesome and is NOT putting me up to this) is allowing me to have a part, however small, in the production of this story. I've got to say, this is a lot harder than I had expected it to be when I signed up for it, but what worthwhile thing isn't? So, yeah, assuming Superdale33 allows this to be in the final version when he posts it (since it is well within his right as an author to just delete this), I just want to say, thank you, Superdale, for this awesome opportunity; and thank YOU, reader, for supporting this story.  
Read on,  
Legion._

**A/N: And with that said, it's my turn! I was really busy these last few weeks, with graduating and such. So, sorry this didn't come out sooner.**

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**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 11: Dark Tidings**

King Dragunov was sitting at his throne, rubbing his chin. Flame also sat in his own throne, but seemed distant from the others, with Ember sitting to his side. The Guardians, Sparx, Spyro, Cynder, Lemon, and Uranium formed a semi-circle around the thrones. Cole stood off to the side, leaning against one of the pillars with arms crossed.

"So Magma couldn't be found anywhere?" Cynder asked desperately, hoping it wasn't true.

King Dragunov sighed, hiding his annoyance expertly. "As I said," he explained, "I had my guards search everywhere in the Kingdom for him, and any nearby towns. There's no sign of him."

Spyro shook his head; Magma couldn't have just disappeared, but where could he have gone? Surely he would have flown to some town that was close by. "Maybe he's hiding in a cave or in the wilds," he suggested, his head tilted down in thought.

"That is a possibility," Dragunov agreed, nodding his head, "but there are too many caves nearby that he could hide in, and I cannot spare the resources to search them."

This wasn't good news for anyone to hear. Terrador hummed thoughtfully, his eyes averted upwards. "Then, sadly, it is a lost cause," he stated, giving off a sigh, "I suppose it is best if we concentrate on the real threat, Malefor."

"No," Cole said simply, causing all eyes to gaze at his position in confusion.

"No what?" Cyril asked for everyone.

Cole pushed himself off the pillar he was leaning against, facing the group. "We have to find him. Who knows what he'll do if he gets away..." he commented, slowly walking towards the group.

"He will surely not strike again," Volteer assumed, "He knows he's a wanted dragon now."

"Do you have proof of that?" Cole snapped standing in the middle of the group. "He was full of himself; arrogant to the end. He'll know that we won't be looking for him, and we have to exploit that."

"I am sorry, Cole," Dragunov apologized, lifting a hand for emphasise, "But as I said, we can't spare the resources. Terrador is right, we must find out what Malefor is planning."

Cole rubbed his head, becoming annoyed with their arguing. Though Cole did have a personal vendetta against Magma, he also wanted to find him so he wouldn't cause any more harm to other innocent dragons. Like Lemon. Then it hit him.

"What if he's _working_ for Malefor?" Cole proposed, turning in a circle to face each dragon individually. "It would explain why he did the things he did. He wanted power, and Malefor promised that to him."

"How would Malefor even do that?" Cyril argued, and Cole turned to him with a frown. "How would he communicate with Magma without our knowing?"

Cole knew the answer, but suppressed a grin, knowing that this wasn't the time. "Easy, through his dreams," Cole announced, and everyone looked to one another in confusion. "That was how Malefor spoke to me back in my world; through my dreams. Malefor would do the same for Magma, and have him do his bidding."

Everyone contemplated this fact for a few seconds. Dragunov shook his head after a while, "There are still no solid facts that Magma is working for Malefor."

"You doubted me before," Cole snapped back, crossing his arms, "Look where that got you."

"I understand that, Cole," Dragunov exclaimed, his voice raising at Cole's persistance. "But I have to work with what we know, not go on some wild sheep chase."

Though he was right, Cole couldn't drop the feeling that he was on to something. What was Malefor planning? That was the big question, and Cole knew finding Magma would answer it to some degree.

Lemon could almost feel Cole's determination to find Magma. She loved him for that, but she wished he would let it go. Though she was upset about the whole ordeal about her father, she didn't want Cole to worry about one dragon that they may never see again.

Cynder stepped forward, prompting everyone to look in her direction. "What if we send a small team to search for him? Would that be acceptable?"

Dragunov thought about the proposition for a few seconds, then finally looked up with a small smile. "That would be acceptable," he concurred, "but who would be going on this mission?"

"I will," Cole immediately volunteered, stretching his arms as he did.

"So will I," Spyro followed, earning a nod of thanks from Cole.

"I'm coming also," Cynder announced, and Spyro smiled, nuzzling her in thanks.

"Then it is settled," Dragunov finished, "You three shall search with any means necessary to find Magma. I hereby give you permission to go through any part of my Kingdom, as long you do not take advantage of my hospitality."

Cole, Spyro, and Cynder nodded, but Lemon was feeling distressed. "Wait, Cole!" she shouted, and ran over to him. Cole faced her, with a perplexed expression. "You don't have to find him for me! I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to you."

Cole felt a pinch of sadness well up inside him. It was true that he was mostly doing this for Lemon, but he could also tell that there was something more. Something that he had felt whenever he was taking down a criminal.

Justice.

Cole smiled, and knelt to Lemon's level. "I know I don't have to for you, Lemon," he explained kindly, "but I do have to do it. Not just for you or me, but for the Dragon Realms."

"For justice," Terrador agreed, giving a single nod.

Lemon was still feeling distraught, her head tilted down in worry. Cole lifted her chin up to face him, and gazed at Lemon's beautiful blue eyes. Cole didn't want to have her fret over him, nor did he want her to feel lonely. So with a smile, he leaned forward and kissed her passionately.

Lemon wasn't too surprised that Cole had kissed her, and accepted the kiss, closing her eyes as she did so. It lasted only a few seconds, and when they pulled apart, they both wished that they could continue the kiss. Unfortunately, there were other things that were more important at the moment

"Don't worry about me," Cole jested, standing back up to full height, "I'm Cole MacGrath, remember? If I can make it through a dangerous cavern filled with goblins, I think one simple search will be a piece of cake."

"What's cake?" Sparx asked bluntly, and Cole sighed, face palming.

"That's not important now," Volteer spoke up, "Head forth, heroes. Fulfill the deed to enact justice, and seek out the villainy of anybody who thinks they can stop democracy. Send the message that-"

"You can stop now," Cole stated bluntly, and Volteer gave a nervous chuckle.

"Right, sorry."

With a shake of his head, Cole lead the way toward the large doors that was the entrance. Spyro and Cynder followed close by, equally determined to complete the task.

"So, uh," Spyro began, as they stepped out of the Palace and into the streets, "Where do we start?"

Cole turned his head to the two, speaking over his shoulder, "Where did you last see Malefor?"

Spyro thought for a few seconds, but strangely couldn't rightfully remember. Cynder saw his hesitation, and spoke up for him. "At the Mountain of Malefor."

'Jeez, that guy is full of himself,' Cole thought, as he rolled his eyes.

"Alright, let's set out then," Cole said, pointing forward for morale.

"Right," Spyro and Cynder agreed simultaneously.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Though the Dragon Temple in the Swamp was where Spyro had first learned his elemental abilities, it was abandoned. A passer-by might think it was never even occupied in the first place. Nature had grown around it heavily, and it was almost uninhabitable. Nevertheless, Milson had to enter the foreboding temple to meet Magma.

As he entered, he gazed up at the large dragon statue that took up the entire room. It was Malefor before his corruption; before the beginning of the large conflict that still raged to that day. Milson gave an involuntary shudder at the statue, as if it were Malefor himself. He ignored it though, and continued around it, to another room. His eyes fell on Magma, who was pacing angrily.

This room was not as big as the previous one, but had a small green pool of liquid in the center, the Pool of Visions. As Milson stepped inside, Magma whipped his head towards him, his face failing to hide his temper.

"What took you so long?" Magma yelled, walking over to Milson.

"S-Sorry, sir," Milson apologized. Though Magma wasn't the one in charge, Milson didn't want to be killed by him. "I had to sneak past the guards that were looking for you."

Magma rolled his eyes, resuming his pacing, "Whatever. That stupid Cole ruined everything! I just needed a sacrifice to free Malefor, and it was going to be that girl Lemon. Now... I'll have to improvise."

"How will all this even free the Master?" Milson asked, and Magma glared at him, causing Milson to cower back slightly.

"Once all the ingredients are in place," Magma explained irritably, "one must sacrifice a soul to free Malefor through a pocket dimension. Basically, it opens a small rift in the space-time continuum and allows him to escape his crystal prison. You get all that, you idiot?"

Milson nodded his head rapidly, worried that Magma would snap and end his life. Instead, Magma walked over to the Pool of Visions, staring into it intently. "The sacrifice was supposed to be held right here," he said more to himself than to Milson, "Everything is in place, I just need someone to kill..."

"There's a town a few miles away," Milson announced, "Maybe, we can get a dragon from there."

"Maybe," Magma mumbled, thinking hard about how to remedy the predicament. An evil thought swept through his mind, and it caused him to give a scary grin. He looked over to Milson who was nervously playing with his hands. "Hey Milson, come over here for a second."

Milson had jumped when Magma called his name, but obeyed the order, shuffling over to the Pool of Visions. Magma's smile did not falter one bit, and it made Milson uneasy, but he soon found himself standing over the green pool.

"Now tell me," Magma requested, "What do you see?" he gestured towards the pool. Milson peered into it, but nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Nothing really," he stated, scratching his head.

"Anything red?" Magma asked, his smile still on his face.

"No, none at all," Milson replied, wondering why Magma would ask these strange questions. At that moment, Magma sliced Milson's throat seemlessly, causing Milson to jump back, clutching his thoat with his hands.

"How about now?" Magma asked sinisterly. It was true; some of Milson's blood had dropped into the Pool of Visions. However, Milson was too busy gagging on his own blood to respond. Milson fell to his knees, desperately trying to get air into his lungs.

Growing impatient at his slow death, Magma sunk his claws into Milson's head, killing him instantly. When Magma retracted his claws, Milson fell in the Pool of Visions, his blood mixing with the pool. Magma gave one look at his bloody paws, and groaned.

"Great," he whined, "Now I have to wash my paws."

Magma wiped what he could on Milson's fur, and took a few steps back, waiting expectantly. Nothing happened in the few seconds that followed, but soon the pool began to glow white, turning the green and red pool to pure light. Milson's deceased body evaporated, his body simply vanishing into steam. It rose into the air, and began spinning like a pin wheel.

Magma felt proud of himself for putting the ingredients into the pool prior to Milson's entry. He had a feeling that Malefor had wanted Milson to be the sacrifice in the first place.

'Malefor will surely be pleased,' he predicted, his body nearly shaking with excitement. The swirling mass of vapor was spinning fast by then, glowing as white as the pool below it. Then with a loud bang, the portal formed, growing rapidly to accommodate any mass that would pass through it.

Feeling the tug that the portal always had, Magma locked his claws into the stone floor, as to not be sucked through it. This was it, this was when Malefor would come through and rise to his rightful rank of ruler. With Magma getting as much power as he desired, of course.

"Come forth, Dark Master!" Magma called into the portal, laughing at the inevitable outcome. "Be free from the prison that Spyro and Cynder had trapped you in! Rule this land that so rightfully belongs to you! I, your servant, shall be by your side until the very end!"

The portal began to shoot off lightning in random directions, indicating that something was coming through. This caused Magma to laugh insanely, his true desires only an arm's reach away. An entity did jump out of the portal, but the mere sight of it filled Magma with absolute shock as the portal collapsed on itself.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, you overgrown lizard," the stranger admitted darkly, "but I like the sound of ruling a new land."

The stranger looked exactly like Cole. There were some distinct differences though, like his pale skin and red shirt, but it was Cole nonetheless. Why was a different version of Cole here? Wasn't Malefor supposed to come through?

"Who the hell are you?" Magma questioned, his eyes narrowing in frustration.

"Little old me?" the stranger asked, pointing to himself with a sly grin. "Name's Cole, Cole MacGrath, but a lot of folks back home like to call me the Beast."

Magma was grinding his teeth, his eyes glaring daggers at this person. It was Cole all over again. No matter how much he changed his appearance, it was Cole. He had foiled all of Malefor's plans and denied Magma his rise to power.

"You... asshole," Magma hissed, crouching down as if to pounce on the human.

"Excuse me?" Cole asked, all evidence of mockery gone. "What did you call me?"

"You son of a bitch!" Magma shouted, ignoring Cole's threatening tone. "That portal was meant for Malefor! Not some slimy monster that kicked me out of my home!"

"Look, pal," Cole said sternly, turning to the side, "I don't like your tone, and I suggest you fix that before things get messy."

Magma didn't answer, instead shooting a fire ball at Cole, who simply dodged to the side. "Oh ho," he chuckled, "You're going to regret that."

He began advancing on Magma, his arms crackling with red electricity. Magma did not back down, and sent more fire balls at Cole. Cole grinned devilishly, "Finally some competition."

He dodged each fire ball expertly, leaping out of the way by only a few inches. When the opportunity was open, Cole used a Firebird Strike and closed in on Magma quickly. Caught off guard, Magma was hit full force and into the air. He recovered mid-air with his wings, and dived at Cole.

Seeing the inevitable attack, Cole sent a red electric blast, one that was narrower than those used by the other Cole. Magma didn't have time to move away, and was forced back, slamming into the wall. As he slid down, Cole gave a small chuckle, "This sure beats having to fight humans back home."

Magma coughed roughly into his paw, and when he pulled back, he saw that it was stained with blood. He wearily climbed to his feet, staring at Cole with purpose. "I'm not down yet, you bastard," he growled.

"Aww," Cole fawned sarcastically, cupping his hands together, "Looks like someone is angry."

Giving a battle cry, Magma charged Cole, hoping to run him through with his horns. Cole rolled his eyes at the offensive rush, and retrieved his Amp from its place on his back. When Magma was close enough, Cole hopped and placed a foot on his head, then with a push, he bounced into the air. He did a dramatic spin before putting all of his strength into one final swing as the Amp came crashing down on Magma.

With all his energy spent, Magma could hardly move, gasping for oxygen. Cole backed away to examine his work, putting his Amp away. "How disappointing," he commented with a deep frown, "Still easier than Nix ever was."

Magma didn't know who Nix was, but still felt the insult was made with ill intentions. He tried to crawl towards Cole, but winced in pain when he tried. Cole saw this, and gave a short laugh, "Really? You still think you can take me?"

Magma was in too much pain to respond, instead just laying motionless where he had collapsed. Cole rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Did you know that all creatures use electric impulses to send messages between the brain and the body?" Magma didn't answer, still too tired to do much. "Did you also know..." Cole continued strolling toward Magma with his hands behind his back superiorly, "That I can absorb those electric impulses?"

With a horrifying revelation, Magma tried uselessly to crawl away from Cole, to save himself. Cole shook his head, and kicked Magma to his back, and slowly knelt down.

"Y-You're supposed to be a hero!" Magma cried desperately, "You don't kill, damn it! You don't kill!"

"Sorry," Cole chuckled, holding up his electrified hand, "wrong Cole."

Swiftly, Cole shoved his hand onto Magma's face, and started absorbing Magma's bioelectric energy. Magma pushed his paws against Cole's hands, giving his all in an attempt to survive. It was too late, however, as the electricity inside of Magma arced through the air and traveled into Cole. A small hiss could be heard as Cole released Magma's head, letting the sapped body fall lifelessly to the ground as Cole rose to his full height.

"Nothing like a good Bio Leech," Cole stated to no one, cracking his knuckles. Gazing downward, he gave the lifeless husk that was Magma a small wave before heading over to a balcony that lead outside. As he stood upon it, he scanned the area, and his eyes fell on a town, so far away that the average person wouldn't have been able see it, but Cole had had his senses upgraded thanks to the Beast.

"A whole new world to explore," he said, "and a whole new place to conquer."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Malefor Mountain was rather simple to climb, or at least, Cole thought it was. Spyro and Cynder had wings, so they could just fly to the top. For Cole, the mountain was almost a straight line. The ledges weren't slippery, and there were multiple handholds as well.

The sun was starting to set as he climbed onto a platform, Spyro and Cynder landing beside him. He stood up on his feet, and brushed himself from any dirt or dust that attached to him. "Alright," he announced, "We made it."

"Well duh," Cynder commented dryly, earning a glare from Cole for her troubles.

He took a quick look at his surrounds, seeing a tunnel that lead to who knew where. He walked determinately in that direction without a word, and the two other dragons followed behind him. As he entered, Cole could feel a presence that was both there, and not there. It was confusing, but Cole could figure it out later.

They entered deeper into the cave, and soon the scene changed from dirt and rock to gray bricks, and torches were seen hanging on the wall.

"I guess we're in the right place," Spyro assumed, watching the torches warily. "But Malefor wouldn't be able to light these himself."

"Meaning...?" Cynder trailed off.

"Someone has been here recently," Spyro answered, narrowing his eyes.

Cole remained silent, his own contemplations dominating his mind.

'If it wasn't Magma who lit these torches,' Cole theorized in his head, 'than it must be Milson. No one has seen him since Magma escaped. At least I was right about him.'

All their ponderings came to a halt when a wooden door greeted them, and Cole clenched his hands tightly. This was the moment; if Magma wasn't behind that door, than Malefor was, and they could officially put a stop to him.

Before getting the dragons' consent, Cole kicked the door down, revealing pure darkness. Cole ran in, glowing with electrical energy that laced itself around his arms. Spyro and Cynder jumped to his side, ready to fight if need be.

At first, nothing happened, but then a small purple light began to pulsate in the darkness. The light began to grow, revealing its source to be a large crystal. The light then formed the head of a dragon, a very dangerous dragon.

"Malefor," Spyro announced, though it wasn't needed, as everyone could make it out as well.

Malefor laughed, "Spyro, my greatest nemesis. I still don't know why you haven't met your destiny of destroying the world."

Spyro chose not to answer, furrowing his brow. Malefor turned to Cynder and grinned. "Cynder too?" he commented, "My ever loyal servant, here to greet me."

Cynder growled, "Not on your life."

Lastly, Malefor turned to Cole, and his grin lowered to a deep frown. Cole smirked at this; he had really gotten on Malefor's nerves the last they spoke with each other. "And of course," Malefor finished, "the monster."

Cole's smile didn't waver for a second, "So you remember me, huh?"

Malefor scoffed, "How could I not, but I suppose you all aren't here to hear me speak."

"You presume correctly," Cole stated, his electricity flaring up. Malefor shook his head at the display of aggression.

"I might as well tell you all what has happened with me since you defeated me those few months ago," Malefor said, causing the group to freeze, their eyes wide with shock. He was really just going to tell them his plans?

"After Spyro had saved the world with his power," he began, "I lingered here for many weeks, contemplating my next move to destroy the world. At around that time, I discovered the different dimensions, how our own universe was not alone. I reached out to the closest one, and found Cole's world."

Cole could have predicted that explanation, but kept quiet to hear more, "I discovered a man who had dabbled in evil, one that wasn't afraid to take the necessary means to an end. He joined my ranks willingly, and I assisted him by giving him dark gems to suppress a dragon's breaths. He inevitably failed, unfortunately, and I retreated back to my world. This man, if you haven't already figured it out, was Bertrand."

The group suppressed their surprise the best they could; Malefor was working with Bertrand? It would explain some things, but it was still stunning to say the least.

"When that plan backfired, I put my concentration back here, and swept the land looking for servants to, well, serve me. I found Milson, a retched ape that was so afraid to die that he obeyed me without a struggle. Then, there was Magma, a dragon that had the lust for power as I did. And my new plan was coming to fruition."

"Magma collected the necessary ingredients to free me," Malefor continued, "as Milson built an army to attack Warfang for a distraction. Milson failed me, and I was forced to have him try to convince the leader of the Kingdom of Dragunov that Cole was evil. Magma, on the other paw, completed his preparation for reviving me."

"So now what?" Cole interrupted harshly, "You're just going to escape your prison and wreak havoc on the populace?"

"But of course," he answered with a grin, "Magma is already at the temple, setting up the ingredients that will free me. Yes, I can already feel it activating!"

The group glanced at each other in horror; Malefor was already escaping, and they did not have time to disrupt it. Thinking fast, Cole ran up to the crystal, placed his hands on it, and began to absorb whatever energy was in it.

The pain was almost unbearable, and Cole wanted to back out. However, the thought of Malefor escaping and hurting the dragons, hurting Lemon, kept him from letting go. Malefor was screaming, and his image was beginning to distort. Suddenly, a shockwave pushed Cole away, and sent him flying until he hit the ground.

The crystal Malefor occupied was flickering, his image all but gone. Then the low purple light dimmed until it was nothing more than a regular, dead crystal. Spyro and Cynder ran over to Cole, worried that something had happened to him. He was breathing hard, but all in all fine.

"Cole," Spyro asked quietly, "What the heck happened? What did you do?"

"I'm fine thanks," Cole retorted sarcastically, struggling to his feet. "I tried to absorb whatever energy was in that crystal. I think by doing that, I killed Malefor."

"You killed Malefor!?" Cynder cheered, her smile forcing the other two to do the same.

Saying Spyro was happy was an understatement; they had defeated the enemy that had been plaguing the land for a long time. It was the time to celebrate for them, but something kept Cole from doing so.

"I don't think we're finished though," Cole announced, his face grim.

"What... what do you mean?" Cynder asked hesitantly, her smile disappearing.

"That shockwave you felt? That wasn't me or the crystal, it was a completely different... thing. It felt like something I would be able to do. I don't know, it's hard to explain."

Spyro looked around the area, before addressing the group, "I think we're done here. Malefor may be gone, but Magma is still out there."

The group nodded, and headed for the exit. They walked through the same way they came in easily and in no time were back on the platform from before. That was when they saw the large column of smoke coming from the town that Cole saved a few days ago.

Their shock was evident with their dropped jaws.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Lemon could only sit on the wall surrounding the Kingdom of Dragunov with sadness. She was so desperate to be with Cole, to be in his loving embrace once again, but knew that he had a obligation as a hero. She was both proud and depressed because of it.

She wasn't alone as she sat on the wall, gazing out into the land. Uranium was with her as well, though his motives for doing so were confusing. At first, it was to give Lemon company, then it was to wait for Cole, then it was to wait for Spyro and Cynder, and now it was to give Lemon company again.

Lemon didn't care, she just wanted Cole to come back as soon as he could.

"There goes another cloud," Uranium said absent mindedly, staring up at the sky. "That's forty eight. If another hundred and sixty-nine come across, it could rain in due time."

Lemon didn't respond to his constant ramble, focusing on the outskirts, searching for the inevitable return for Cole. Uranium may have short-term memory loss, but he knew when a friend was too depressed to talk. He, too, looked out into the outskirts, and gasped when he saw movement. Lemon saw it as well, but didn't express it the same way as Uranium.

It was three dragons, flying low to the ground. Two were adults, based on their size, and smaller one was on the back of one the adult dragons. One adult was dark green, and the other was light blue. The small dragon was also blue.

They collapsed from exhaustion upon nearing the city wall, gasping for air. Lemon took the initiative and glided down to their position, wondering what could have them so tired.

When she landed, the dark green dragon was the first to speak. "Please," he begged, "We need shelter, something is coming!"

"What town did you come from?" Lemon inquired sympathetically.

"Battleclaw," he answered, "I saw you there before with that... that..."

He shuddered involuntarily, and was suppressing tears. "Tell me," Lemon asked softly, "What happened?"

"We were attacked," he answered heavily, "by the same person that I thought had saved us."

Lemon knew the answer, but was too stunned to do anything. The dark green dragon finished anyway, "We were attacked by Cole MacGrath."

* * *

**So, I'll just leave it like this. I hoped you enjoyed. Troll face.**


	12. Chapter 12: Ultimatum

**Do you ever get that feeling when you know stuff is about to go down? That's all I had when typing this. Super extra thanks to Legion222 yet again for the edit (Even though he literally corrects everything I say, dang it!).**

* * *

**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 12: Ultimatum**

Getting to the burning town was easy for Cole, Spyro, and Cynder; it was easy to find and there were no major obstacles in the way. What was hard was coping with the amount of destruction that lay before them. As they walked through the torn streets, gazing in horror at the burning and battered town, they could only wonder at what could have caused it. Their footsteps were the only noise that could be heard, and as they looked around, they saw no sign of life, or bodies.

"What happened here?" Cynder whispered, looking around warily.

"Maybe it was something Magma did?" Spyro suggested quietly.

"No," Cole disagreed, jogging slightly to the center of town, "Something's off. It feels like the same energy as when I absorbed Malefor."

Spyro and Cynder exchanged glances, but kept to themselves, following behind briskly.

When they entered the Town Square, they all recoiled at the many bodies that littered the ground. The corpses had their eyes wide open in shock, giving the group an uneasy feeling as if the very soul was taken from them.

Cole walked up to a corpse of a dragon, and knelt down, examining the body. "This isn't right," he mumbled to himself, giving a confused and frustrated expression.

"What do you mean?" Spyro asked, growing anxious.

"A body like this," Cole explained, gesturing to the corpse, "should leave a residue of electricity. But there's nothing. It's like someone stole it."

Cynder walked up to Cole's side, giving the dead dragon a sympathetic look, "Who has the power to do that?"

Cole remained unusually silent, not making eye contact. After a minute, Cole stood up and took a few steps away, keeping his back to the dragons. "I do," he said with no emotion.

"What!?" Spyro nearly shouted in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said," Cole retorted with more force than he meant to use. He turned around to face them, scowling. "I have the power to absorb the electricity from others."

Spyro and Cynder didn't quite know how to feel about this piece of information. They know Cole wouldn't hurt someone unless they deserved it, but this was something that they had never known about him. What if it was a hidden secret for a reason?

"Before you ask," Cole spoke up, "I only used it once; As a test."

"What exactly... happens?" Cynder asked hesitantly, not sure if she even wanted to know.

Cole's face was grim, and he sighed. "I hold my hands against the victim's face, and leach the electricity from their body. The first and only time I used it was back in Empire City, against a Reaper. I could feel the power, like absorbing electricity normally. But I knew it wouldn't sit well with the citizens. So I refrained from using it."

Spyro nodded, "But you couldn't have done that to these dragons. You were with us the entire time."

Cole narrowed his eyes in the distance, "Which is why this isn't right. It's like a dragon with powers like mine is running around."

Spyro involuntarily shuttered; the thought of someone just sucking the life out of someone did not ease his nerves. Shaking it off, he eyed the other two with determination. "We need to get to the bottom of this. Whoever did this will most likely do it again."

Cole rubbed his forehead in frustration, "And we're no closer to getting Magma."

"Cole," Cynder consoled, "We'll get him. But this is important."

"I know, I know," Cole replied, taking a deep breath. "Let's head back to the Kingdom of Dragunov and tell the King what we found."

"And have these innocent dragons buried," Cynder added in sadness, sweeping her eyes over the scene again.

"Yeah," Cole agreed quietly. The three took off for the city, wanting to get there as soon as possible.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The group wasted no time trying to get to the city, sprinting the whole way. Cole's mind was racing as to who could cause something so destructive. The Beast flashed through his mind more than once, but he dismissed each time; he had made sure that the Beast was killed. Deciding to keep his musings for later, he focused on getting to the city.

Soon, the city was coming into view over the horizon, but their fears were realized when the city was also in flames. Pillars of smoke rose over the Kingdom of Dragunov, the light of fires flickering over buildings. Spyro and Cynder could only stand there, staring with completely stunned expressions. Cole took it the hardest, however, his teeth clenching shut, and his fists forming balls of fury.

"Lemon..." he murmured, fighting back the tears. He had finally found love again and now it might have been taken away from him. His arms were crackling with electricity, and his rage was reaching its highest point.

"No one is taking someone I love again!" he shouted, startling Spyro and Cynder, "Not now, not ever!"

Spyro nodded, his face contorted with determination. Cynder was no different, standing beside Spyro with equal feelings. Cole then turned to them, his brow furrowed.

"Spyro, Cynder, fly up ahead to try to help in any way possible," Cole commanded, "I'll catch up on foot."

Spyro and Cynder didn't argue, agreeing with his terms without question. They extended their wings and took flight, heading towards the city at full speed. As soon as they were flying, Cole began his own trek for the city, running as fast as his feet could carry him.

Spyro and Cynder eventually left his line of sight, but Cole didn't think on it for long. The city was still a ways away, but he had a good reason to not rest for even a second.

Lemon was in danger.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole was breathing exceedingly hard when he reached the gates of the city. The run had taken his toll, but he didn't regret it; he had reached the Kingdom of Dragunov in record time. His arms were wrapped around his stomach, attempting to support his breathing if he needed to fight.

Despite his quick approach, the city was almost a replica of the destruction back in Battleclaw. The buildings were missing pieces of walls, the roads held marks of battle, and what was worse was that the streets were laced with bodies. Cole gazed around in sorrow, wishing he could've stopped this devastation before it had occurred.

The quiet sobbing of a creature was resonating from a nearby debris pile, causing Cole to stop in his tracks. He quickly made his way over and saw Ember, who seemed to have been crying for a while, embracing an injured Flame.

"Ember," Cole called, causing Ember to whip her head in his direction. "Is Flame alright?"

"Get away from us!" she shouted, hugging Flame tighter.

"What do you mean?" Cole asked, shaking his head in puzzlement.

"You caused all of this!" Ember cried, looking away from him. "You killed everyone, and when we tried to stop you..."

She was crying too hard at that point to continue, and Cole knew it had something to do with Flame. Cole was still greatly confused as to what she was referring to. She knew that he was on a mission a few days ago, why would she suddenly turn on him at a chaotic time?

"Listen," Cole spoke sternly, walking slowly towards them. "Let me help Flame, then I can find the bastard who did this."

"Don't take another step!" Ember demanded, facing Cole with anger. "I'll burn you to a crisp if you touch him!"

"I'm trying to help him!" Cole retorted, his own anger flaring up. Ember shook her head in doubt. Cole's impatience won over his rational side, and he continued to walk towards the two.

Ember saw this and jumped up, finally leaving the unconscious Flame on the ground. She breathed a torrent of fire at Cole, who dodged to the left. She continued her attacks, not letting Cole gain any ground. Cole knew he didn't have time to mess around, and tried to think of a way to get around this. Unexpectantly, Ember collapsed on the ground, exhaustion taking over.

Cole hurried over to check on her, and she tried to shy away, not wanting anything to do with him. Whatever she may think of him, Cole saw that she wasn't injured too badly. Flame, on the other hand, looked like he had seen better days.

As Cole approached him, he could see the various burns and deep scratches that covered his body. He had a black eye, and one of his limbs was at an awkward angle. Cole allowed electricity to envelop his arms, and he touched his hands against the dragon's chest. A pulse of energy was the result, followed by the injuries miraculously healing, like it had never happened in the first place.

When Cole was finished, he stepped away, glad to see that at least two of his friends weren't dead. Ember, who observed the whole scene, was shocked, but Cole didn't understand why.

"What's your problem?" Cole asked as he crossed his arms.

"You... you attacked the city, killing anyone in your way," she explained with disbelief in her tone. "Why would you heal him?"

"I thought we went over this," Cole exclaimed, "I'm _not _a monster."

"But you, I mean, someone like you did this," she explained, gesturing around the area.

"Who?"

"It was you. With red clothing, and pale skin. You called yourself... the Beast."

Cole's eyes widened, and he didn't waste another minute, heading for the Palace with haste.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole burst through the large double-door entrance of the Tower Palace, his eyes scanning for anything. A majority of his friends were lying around the room, including the Guardians and Sparx. Uranium was there as well, leaning against a wall on the opposite side of the entrance. They looked as bad as Flame, if not worse. Most had burns around their torsos, and a few had bruises on their heads.

'The Beast must have come through here, but... are they alive?' Cole asked in his head, sadness welling up inside him.

At that moment, everyone in the room began groaning, their paws nursing the various injures on their bodies. Cole gave a relieving sigh, glad to see that they had not been killed. However, when his friends saw him standing there, they instantly forgot their wounds, glaring at Cole.

'Wait,' Cole thought, 'If Ember was aggressive towards me, than wouldn't they...?'

"Aw Crap," Cole breathed, slumping his shoulders. Cyril breathed ice in his direction, and Cole jumped out of the way. Cole began running with the walls at his side, the Guardians using their breath attacks, but Cole was able to leap over them or simply duck to avoid them.

"You believe that you can take us down again?!" Terrador roared, shooting another blast of Earth at Cole.

"No," Cole grunted, dodge rolling out of the way of his attack, "but I think I can get out of here."

Cole found the stairs that were part of the wall, and zipped up them, just barely evading a combined attack from the Guardians. As Cole dashed up the stairs, he couldn't help but wonder what the Beast looked like. It seemed like it wasn't the one he had known back in his world. Why did Ember say it was him? Nothing was adding up, and Cole knew that the Beast had to be at the top of the Tower.

His gut feeling was rarely wrong.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"He got away!" Cyril shouted in anger, slamming his paw on the ground.

"Why don't we go after him then?!" Sparx pointed out, gesturing toward where Cole had run off.

"We don't have the stamina, Sparx," Terrador explained, taking deep breaths. "We barely held him off just now."

"So what do we do?" Sparx asked desperately, his worry plastered on his face.

"We do nothing, and let destiny take its course," Uranium spoke up, earning bewildered expressions from the others. Uranium had a serious look on him, and his voice sounded deeper, causing the others to raise a brow.

"What do you mean?" Cyril asked hesitantly, eyeing him warily.

"We let Cole meet the Beast, and let destiny decide our fate," Uranium spoke wisely.

Sparx flew up to his face, but Uranium didn't move a muscle, keeping his calm expression. "When did you become the sage one?" Sparx teased, poking his snout.

"Since the Beast knocked my memories back in me," Uranium spoke, his eyes closed.

"You were hiding something," Terrador noted.

"Yes," Uranium agreed, looking up to him, "but not on purpose. Let me explain."

Uranium sat down on the floor, the Guardians and Sparx waiting with bated breath for him to continue. "Centuries ago, just after Malefor was imprisoned for the first time, a visitor came to our world. His name was Cole MacGrath, but it wasn't the one we know."

"Hold on, how do you know all this?" Volteer interrupted.

"I'll get to that," Uranium said politely, forcing Volteer to grin sheepishly.

"Anyway," Uranium continued, "This Cole teleported from a world that had been completely ravaged by the Beast. He had used his powers to go back in time, but had mistakenly teleported here. He told the Guardians of old of his tale, and they knew that if he could come to our world, so could the Beast."

Everyone was silent, drinking in all this new information. "This Cole MacGrath told the Guardians that he wanted to return to the past of his world, and undo the future, hopefully destroying the Beast for good. The Guardians agreed with this plan, but believed he would need a new alias, if he ever were to run into his past self. So he called himself... Kessler."

Uranium began to pace, his mind trying to recover all the details. "Kessler told them to write a warning, to tell the future generation about the impending doom that the Beast would bring, in case he failed. He also mentioned that if the Beast could come, then his own counterpart could come as well. As soon as he left, the Guardians began a project that would help them take down the Beast if he were to appear. It was to have a dragon research a weapon of electricity to destroy the Beast."

"Why electricity?" Volteer interrupted again.

"It was based on Kessler's abilities," Uranium answered, stopping in his pacing, "He had extraordinary power, one that could take down the Beast, and the Guardians believed it would be best to research a weapon based on that preference."

Uranium continued his pacing, but was much more nervous now. "They had to keep the project secret, though; the populace would be in panic if they found out. The Guardians knew that they needed a dragon that would live a long period of time, doing nothing but research. That dragon... was me."

"Whoa," Sparx said quietly, "How many years were you in that mountain again?"

"Too many to count," Uranium said solemnly, his eyes downcast. He shook it off and continued, "They placed a once in a millennium spell that would reduce my aging process, and put me in a secret bunker in a distant mountain. From there, I worked with little rest, looking for a way to stop the evil from coming. Unfortunately, a stray rock hit my head at some point, and I was cursed with short-term memory loss."

"That would explain your behavior before," Terrador noticed.

"Precisely," Uranium nodded, "Only when the Beast had hit me against the wall did my mind snap back to normal. However, I don't think anyone foresaw the Beast being a replica of Cole. Perhaps there is another dimension with a different timeline besides the one previously mentioned..."

Sparx gripped his head, "Oh, please don't make this more confusing than it already is."

Uranium shook his head, "Anyway, there is nothing we can do now. Everything is in the hands of Cole, the good Cole. If he fails, then we all shall perish."

"Then let us pray to the ancestors that he does not," Cyril announced.

Uranium smiled despite the situation they were all in, "Geo would most likely concur with you."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole finally made it to the top of the stairs, his body already feeling fatigued. The top of the tower was an attic like area, mostly used for stargazing. Now, however, it was where the Beast was.

King Dragunov was on the floor, either unconscious or dead, Cole didn't know. It wasn't the forefront of his mind though, as a person almost exactly like him was battling Spyro and Cynder. Through all the attacks and exchanged blows, Cole could just make out Lemon on the other side of the room, near a window, and holding a frightened Kindling.

Meanwhile, Spyro and Cynder were not having any luck with the Cole look-a-like. He was too fast to attack from afar, but if they tried to move in for a closer attack, he would hit them away with his Amp.

"Man, oh man," Evil Cole taunted, "Fighting dragons is a lot more exciting than regular humans."

Evil Cole dodged another fire ball from Spyro, giving a cocky grin. "Then again," he said, "It isn't too different in difficulty."

Cynder dive bombed him from behind, but Cole saw it coming and hit her away with his Amp. This time, however, he had hit her on the head, and she gave a quick yelp of pain before she tumbled across the room, unconscious.

"Cynder!" Spyro called, and Evil Cole took this distraction to throw an electric grenade at him. It exploded in his face, but it jumped up again and blew up a second time. With the twin explosions injuring him, Spyro fell to the floor, knocked out cold.

"The Beast is still good," Evil Cole said with a small chuckle.

"That's a lie," Cole whispered, causing Evil Cole to whip around, his eyes wide. He relaxed after a short time, his arrogant grin returning.

"Well, well," Evil Cole said, crossing his arms, "Another me. If this was a movie, I think I would be laughing."

"You're going to wish you were laughing when I'm done with you," Cole threatened, walking towards him.

Evil Cole saw this, but remembered the other dragons in the room. He ran towards Lemon, and hit her away with his Amp. She accidentally dropped Kindling as she fell to the floor with a grunt. Before Cole could shout an insult for the attack, Evil Cole grabbed Kindling by the scruff of his neck, holding him aloft.

"You coward!" Cole shouted, getting ready for a battle.

Evil Cole laughed, "Maybe, but I want some answers from you."

Cole remained silent, not sure how to play this. "First off," Evil Cole said, as Kindling tried to make himself as small as possible, sobbing quietly, "who the hell are you?"

"I'm Cole MacGrath," Cole gritted, not liking the circumstances he got himself into.

"That would explain the near perfect mirror," Evil Cole noted, rubbing his chin with his free hand, "Next question, where did you come from?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Cole retorted, clenching his fists shut.

"You're not exactly in a position to do that," Evil Cole pointed out, waving Kindling slightly for emphasis.

Cole sighed, "I came from another dimension, where I destroyed the Beast."

Evil Cole gave a dark chuckle, "I wonder how that turned out for ya. I, for one, joined the Beast, and now... I'm stronger than ever."

"Wait," Cole said suddenly, freezing his movements, "You joined the Beast?"

"Yeah," Evil Cole said gazing off in memory, "Had to kill Zeke and Nix, but win some lose some, huh?"

Cole's heart nearly stopped; did this evil version of himself really kill his own friend? He shook his head, trying to not put images of Zeke's dead body in his mind. And Nix, she didn't sacrifice herself like he had seen, but was killed without mercy by this Evil Cole.

With these thoughts running through his head, Cole hissed, "You sick son of a bitch!"

"Temper, temper," Evil Cole mocked, "Now, let's make things more exciting."

Cole didn't like the sound of that, and for good reason. Just after finishing those words, Evil Cole smashed the window behind him with an electric blast, and held Kindling outside of it. Kindling became frantic, shaking his limbs uselessly while being suspended by this mad man.

Cole was too afraid to move; worried that in doing so, Kindling would be dropped. Evil Cole saw his hesitation, and gave a quick laugh. "So far, this is the only dragon I've seen in this world without wings," he informed, with a sinister smile, "Let's see how long it takes for him to hit the ground."

Then, he let him go.

In an instant, Cole sprinted for the window, his tired body long forgotten. Strangely, Evil Cole let him pass as he jumped out the window after Kindling. Cole didn't care, he had to save this helpless dragon before he could meet his untimely demise.

The air was rushing past his face, his eyes watered slightly, but the screams of the small dragon drove Cole to go faster. When he was close enough, Cole grabbed Kindling and tucked him under his arm. Kindling was a bit surprised to be suddenly snatched out of the open air and close to a creature, but was still grateful.

Seeing the ground fast approaching, Cole positioned his feet to land as he has always done. He stuck the landing, and gave a thankful sigh that nothing had happened to Kindling. He put him down, and was about to stand to full height when Evil Cole landed behind him with a thunder drop.

His attack sent Cole barreling around the ground until he slid to a stop. Kindling received the same treatment, but didn't receive heavy injury, and decided to rest for a moment. Cole groaned as he stood to his feet, looking up with a scowl at Evil Cole, who was smirking.

"Let's see who's really the strongest conduit," Evil Cole announced, "Winner takes all."

Cole narrowed his eyes, and slowly drew his Amp, allowing electricity to arc through it. "The real victory will be taking you down," Cole responded, pointing his Amp at Evil Cole.

Evil Cole chuckled darkly, "That's more like it."

Immediately after that, Evil Cole sprung forward, bringing his Amp over his head. Cole was taken aback by how quick he was, but was able to deflect the attack with his own Amp. He followed up with an electric punch to Evil Cole's chest, which sent him rocketing back a ways.

Evil Cole jumped back to his feet, and began lobbing electric grenades at Cole. Seeing it coming, Cole dodged a reasonable distance away from the grenades, but it wasn't far enough as the blast was still powerful enough to launch him into a building.

Gripping his head, Cole stumbled out of the wreckage. 'What kind grenade was that?!' he thought to himself, 'I never learned a grenade with that much power.'

Evil Cole was running toward the staggering Cole, his Amp in his hand. Seeing him coming, Cole threw a grenade that erupted into a bunch of smaller grenades, scattering all around Evil Cole.

"Aw sh-" he started, but was interrupted when all the grenades went off, causing him to grunt in pain and wobble slightly. Seeing his chance, Cole rushed him, drawing his Amp, and smacked Evil Cole left and right with it. He finished by locking his Amp onto his neck then spun around him. When he planted his feet again, Cole slammed the locked Evil Cole into the ground, earning a shout of pain from him.

Evil Cole rolled to his feet again, and blasted Cole with a cloud of smoke and ash, temporarily blinding him. As Cole was wiping his eyes feverishly, Evil Cole allowed fire to cover his legs and arms, and he surged forward with a Firebird Strike. It hit Cole in the chest, and knocked him quite far, sending him skyward. Evil Cole saw him plummeting towards the outskirts of the city and ran after him.

Cole's eyes were still blurred, and the strike Evil Cole had preformed had disoriented him badly. Eventually, his body met the ground and he bounced off it, repeating it for a time until he finally landed, sprawled on his back. Pain was laced through his body, and he was lucky none of his bones were broken.

He pushed himself to his feet, clutching his arm, which had taken most of the fall. He examined his surroundings and saw he was outside of the Kingdom of Dragunov, in the rocky fields. He faced the city again and saw Evil Cole heading his way.

"He wants to fight that badly, huh?" Cole mused to himself, "Well, let's see how he handles this."

Cole aimed his arm to the sky and shot a dozen of rockets, seeming to send them nowhere. Evil Cole nearly doubled over laughing, thinking Cole had wasted his time. However, a bolt of electricity courtesy of Cole had hit him. It did little damage, but that wasn't what was concerning Evil Cole. The bolt that had hit him acted like a beacon, as the rockets curved in the air, heading straight for him.

With eyes wide, he began dodging left and right, barely escaping the barrage of rockets. Despite his efforts, a rocket hit him, and the others followed, continuing what seemed like an endless amount of destruction. When it had stopped, Evil Cole was panting hard while his wounds lingered.

"Alright, no more mister nice guy," Evil Cole hissed, allowing a lot of electricity to arc through his arms. He pointed his arm at Cole, and fired a large amount of rockets. These were different from the average electric rocket; they were oily black, smaller, and swiveled around each other. Cole saw the incoming rockets, and knew that he shouldn't underestimate Evil Cole's attacks again.

As the rockets quickly neared, Cole took a few steps back and tried to think of a way to avoid them. Seeing no other way, Cole took off in the opposite direction, and aimed his arm at the rockets. He released a bolt stream, which actually took a few rockets out. The rockets were growing near, and though Cole had taken out a lot with his bolt stream, there was simply too many to handle.

In a last ditch attempt, Cole tried to use his Ice Launcher to put some distance between him and the rockets. Despite this, a rocket collided with him in midair. That was all it took for Cole to lose his balance in the air, and the other rockets closed in relentlessly. After the smoke settled, Cole was falling towards the ground and landed with a loud thud. He could only lay their as his body had succumbed to his injuries while staring off into the sky.

He could hear footsteps approaching, and dark laughter. Evil Cole loomed over him, a wide grin on his face. "That's the difference between you and me," he explained, crossing his arms triumphantly, "I'm willing to gain more power to finish the job. You, on the other hand, can't even handle the abilities that I have."

"That's another difference then," Cole said through gasping breaths; his lungs weren't working like they should. "I help people in any way possible... while you look after yourself."

"That's how the world works," Evil Cole exclaimed, a bit miffed by Cole's words. "People only look after themselves, and if they try to assist others in any way..."

Evil Cole brought out his Amp, hovering it over Cole, "...they find themselves in a worse position than before."

Evil Cole swung downwards with all his might, while Cole clenched his eyes shut waiting for the inevitable. Right before the Amp made contact, a yellow dragoness rammed into Evil Cole, sending him tumbling away.

"You leave him alone!" Lemon shouted, placing herself between both Coles.

"Lemon..." Cole breathed, a smile creeping onto his face.

Lemon faced him, giving a warming smile that worked wonders on Cole's morale. "Don't worry, Cole," she assured softly, "I'll protect you."

Cole realized something after she said that; she was going to fight Evil Cole, someone who even _he_ had trouble with. "Wait, Lemon!" Cole yelled as loud as he could, but it was for naught as Lemon charged forward at Evil Cole, who was slowly standing back up.

With her horns, she hit him in the chest, and Evil Cole clenched his chest as the air was knocked out of him. She followed up with many slashes with her claws, leaving an abundant amount of scratches cuts all over his body.

"Enough!" Evil Cole shouted in rage, as a shock wave of energy was released, knocking Lemon back, where she remained still.

"Lemon!" Cole shouted in despair, gaining back his normal voice. It wasn't just the worry that Lemon might be seriously injured, but that the energy the Evil Cole just released was familiar. It was the same feeling when Cole had absorbed Malefor.

'Did I let this Cole into this world?!' Cole asked himself in his head. Evil Cole chuckled again, looking over at Cole with a mocking grin.

"I feel a connection here," Evil Cole said while gesturing between the two. He put a finger on his chin, pretending to be thinking hard. "You two are lovers?" he guessed with a relaxed expression. Cole didn't answer, pushing himself to a sitting position while still nursing his stomach.

Evil Cole threw his head back and laughed, "Oh, Man! that is priceless!"

He began to saunter over to Lemon while still speaking. "A dragon and a human, never heard that before. I'm just with Kuo, remember her? Man, is she great at sex, but that's beside the point."

Evil Cole stood over Lemon and squatted down, rubbing his chin. "You must be really desperate if you want to do it with a dragon."

"Don't touch her!" Cole seethed, his fury building up quickly as he attempted to stand with little success

"Or what?" Evil Cole snickered, "You're going to stop me? You can hardly stand... I wonder what would happen if I Bio Leech her right in front of you."

Cole's eyes widened, and he desperately tried to crawl to him, but winced in pain when he did. Evil Cole saw this, and grinned, "I thought so."

Evil Cole placed his hands on Lemon's face, while Cole could only watch in horror. As Evil Cole sucked the electricity out of Lemon slowly, she began to cry out in pain. With every shout in pain, Cole felt a dagger in his heart.

"Lemon..." Cole whispered, tears beginning to leak from his eyes. "Lemon... Lemon..."

Cole pounded his arm on the ground. "Lemon!" he shouted with all of his might. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck Cole and Evil Cole was forced back, leaving Lemon on the ground. Evil Cole covered his eyes, as the continued lightning strike got brighter and brighter.

As suddenly as the lightning appeared, it disappeared, and Evil Cole could finally peek through his arms to see what had happened. A small crater was created, and what was inside confused Evil Cole greatly.

It was a dragon, with scales of pure white. Its horns were light blue and curved back. Its wings were majestic, with the membranes sharing the same color as its horns. Its tail was as long as his body, and ended with a lightning-shaped tail blade. The last noticeable feature was its yellow underbelly.

The dragon's closed eyes opened, and glared at Evil Cole. Then they opened wide in surprise, and checked out its body, testing each limb. "Why am I dragon?" Cole asked himself, an eyebrow cocked. Evil Cole couldn't hold it in any longer and roared with laughter.

"You look ridiculous!" he laughed, "I have no idea how that body is going to help you."

Cole turned his attention back to Evil Cole, "Might as well try it out."

Cole lunged forward, tackling Evil Cole to the ground. While he was pinned, Cole slashed his chest endlessly, and before Evil Cole could retaliate to get him off, Cole hopped off. Evil Cole jumped up to his feet, and retrieved his Amp, and took a wild swing at Cole. He easily ducked under the swing, and used his tail blade to cut deeply into Evil Cole's arm. In pain, he mistakenly dropped his Amp to the ground.

Seeing his chance, Cole rammed his head into Evil Cole's gut and while Evil Cole doubled over in pain, Cole did a back flip and allowed his tail blade to cut vertically along Evil Cole's face. Evil Cole howled in pain, his hands covering his face pathetically.

Cole wasn't finished, however, and stood on his hind legs. He threw his fore legs back, and summoned another lighting strike on top of Evil Cole. The strike was larger and more powerful, and Cole could hear Evil Cole's shouts of pain as the lighting tore him up.

As Cole released his attack, the lighting faded away, to reveal that Evil Cole was completely gone, his Amp the only remainder of the demon. With the threat destroyed, Cole looked over to Lemon, who still hadn't stirred. Feeling anxious, Cole trotted over to her, hoping that she wasn't dead.

"Lemon... Lemon," Cole shook her to no avail. "Wake up, please... I can't lose another loved one..."

The tears came before he could stop them, and Cole began to sob over Lemon, the drops of salty water landing on her face. Cole lifted her head, and hugged her. He should have tried harder, he knew he could have. He had been foolish to think that falling in love would make him feel better, now he was responsible for two deaths.

"Trish, Lemon..." Cole cried, his eyes clamped shut, "I'm sorry..."

"Cole?" called Lemon, and Cole's eyes shot open, staring right into Lemon's gorgeous magenta eyes. "Why are you a dragon?"

Cole didn't answer, a grand smile slipping onto his face. He hugged her tighter, wishing to never let her go. "Were you... crying?" she asked hesitantly. Cole pulled back, and Lemon stood back up on her paws.

"I thought I lost you..." he explained, while hastily wiping his eyes.

Lemon smiled gently, "I would never leave you, Cole."

Cole gave a small chuckle, "I know you wouldn't."

Lemon looked around, "Where's that other Cole?"

"In hell," Cole answered with no remorse, "where he belongs."

Lemon smiled and Cole did as well, and they came together, nuzzling each other. "I love you so much," Cole said, holding back the tears that threatened to fall again.

"I do too."

They pulled apart, and looked into each others' eyes, and their heads slowly approached until their lips met. Cole was in bliss; he just wanted to stay like this for the end of time. They eventually broke the kiss, but both desperately wanted to do it again.

At that moment, Cole felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and he groaned, holding his head with a paw. "Are you alright?" Lemon asked worriedly.

"I suddenly feel... dizzy," Cole answered before falling on his side.

"Cole!" Lemon shouted, her uneasiness skyrocketing. Cole heard the shout but couldn't respond as his vision slowly faded to darkness.

* * *

**So yeah, that just happened. So, the story is coming to a close; I'm thinking I can wrap this up with one more chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13: What is to Come

_E/N: Blame me for how long this chapter took to come out. Life happened, and this has been sitting on my computer untouched for a couple of days. Sorry! Anyway, it's here now, so, enjoy!_

**A/N: Yeah! Blame him! No, don't do that. Anyway, last chapter. Here it goes.**

* * *

**The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss**

**Chapter 13: What is to Come**

All Cole could see was darkness, and he felt like he was floating in air. He could tell he was still in his dragon form, with the extra limbs yielding the most evidence. He had been here before, back in Warfang, but returning here had puzzled him. If he had saved the Dragon Realms, why did he have to come back here?

Solid ground met Cole's paws as he gently landed on what seemed like nothing. A spotlight showed the familiar desk and bookcase, yet it looked larger since he had lowered himself in the kindest sense. As he approached, he saw the familiar blue book with the gold lightning on the desk. Seeing that Ignitus was nowhere in sight, he placed his forelegs on the desk, and turned the pages with his snout. Though he found it awkward at first to do this, he learned quickly, and was flipping through his life in no time.

He came to the last page he had read in the book, which was his first visit at Warfang, but when he turned another page, he was mildly surprised to see that it was filled in with a bit more of his recent exploits. Going through the forest, his adventure in the mountain, arriving at the Kingdom of Dragunov, it was all here.

"I guess Ignitus has been busy," Cole mused to himself. He turned to the last written page, which was his victory over Evil Cole, and then stared at the blank page that was adjacent to it.

"Contemplating what to do next?" Ignitus inquired politely. Cole jumped slightly in surprise at the voice coming from behind him. He gave a quick glance over his shoulders - and past his wings - to see Ignitus looming over him with a kind smile.

Cole sighed, facing the book again, "I guess I am. What is a conduit with powers like these supposed to do when there is nothing _to_ do?"

Ignitus did not answer right away, and instead stepped beside Cole, tapping the book with a claw. "That's the great thing about life," Ignitus explained with the hint of a chuckle. "You choose what you will do with it. Though you may never have a normal one, you must remember what makes you unique."

Cole thought about his words carefully. He was right, of course, yet Cole was still lost. "I can't truly pick what life I want, can I?" he mumbled rather dejectedly, placing his forelegs back on the ground.

"No one can, Cole," Ignitus told him while lowering his head to Cole's level; Cole shied away slightly, facing away from him. "What you can do is live with what you are given and make the best of it."

Cole took a deep breath, calming himself down. Though he may not have a clue about what to do next, he knew that he would have help from his friends. And Lemon. At that moment, a thought struck Cole, his face lighting up.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Magma is, would you?" he asked, trying to hide his desperate tone.

At the mention of Magma, Ignitus gave a curt nod, and went to the book shelf, extracting another book. This one was red, with a golden flame placed in the center. Cole didn't care as he snatched the book from Ignitus's paws, and placed it on the floor. He flipped through page after page, anger and a bit of longing welling up inside him.

He came to the last page, and froze, his eyes scanning over the contents. He read what fate had dropped on Magma, what with Evil Cole killing him and such. Inside of him, Cole could feel lighter, as if a great load had been lifted.

Magma was gone.

Cole would've cheered, if he wasn't holding in his excitement so well. Ignitus, however, could see his suppressed expressions, and gave a good-hearted chuckle. "Magma is dead, and by the evil version of myself. I believe irony would be a good word for that," Cole said more to himself than Ignitus, a smile spread across his face.

"I believe so," Ignitus agreed, nodding for emphasis. Suddenly, his demeanor changed to sorrow as he gazed in front of him, through the black abyss that surrounded him. Cole looked at him with a raised brow, wondering what could have caused him to become so sad.

"Can you send a message to Spyro?" he asked Cole, glancing down at him briefly.

"Yeah, sure," Cole nodded; it felt right to help him out.

"Tell him that... the Chronicler is always watching," he said in a distant voice. Cole gave him an odd look.

"That's a bit cryptic," he admitted, and Ignitus chuckled, breaking out of his gloomy mood.

"I suppose it is," he said, looking down at Cole with a smile, "But could you still give him the message?"

Cole grinned, "Shouldn't be a problem."

"Excellent."

The area was growing bright, forcing Cole to cover his eyes again. "Good luck, Cole," Ignitus whispered, "And don't worry about being bored. Delsin should give you company soon enough."

"Wait, who?" Cole asked, but darkness returned quickly, and there was nothing, and Cole knew he was truly asleep yet again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole slowly opened his eyes, the nerves in his body confirming he was back in his human form. He felt a blanket over him, and the sterile atmosphere; he reasoned he was in a hospital bed. Sitting up, he gave a glance around, noticing the room he was in had light grey walls and another bed to his right.

Facing left, he could see Lemon, fast asleep on a pillow that was right next to his bed. Her head was lying on his bed, and Cole wondered how long she's been waiting. He made to wake her, but at that moment, the door swung open, and Uranium stepped in.

Cole couldn't put a finger on it, but something was different about him. He had that authoritative attitude, and he strutted slightly with a puffed out chest. He gave a gentle smile as he walked to the other side of the bed. "Glad you're awake, Cole," he said, unlike his usual forgetful mood.

"You don't happen to know where Uranium is, do you?" Cole asked, half serious and half joking.

Uranium grunted humorously, "I am Uranium, Cole. To make a long story short, I received short-term memory lose from a rock hitting my head, back at the mountain. When your evil version knocked me against the wall, I regained my old personality."

"Huh," Cole expressed, looking around awkwardly, "So you were actually intelligent after all."

"To a certain extent, yes," Uranium replied with a small chuckle. Cole stretched his sore arms, and tried to get out of bed. However, Uranium put a paw on his chest. "I don't think you should be moving around yet."

"I've recovered from worse," Cole said, waving off Uranium's concern. At that moment, a question that needed answering entered Cole's mind. "Why am I human again?"

Uranium shook his head, "I'm not sure myself. You changed back shortly after passing out. It was rather... weird to see you as a dragon, and that you would become one in the first place."

"Probably a mystery that'll never be solved," Cole concluded, sitting on the side of his bed away from Lemon. He looked over his shoulder at her, a concerned stare appearing on his face.

Seeing this, Uranium said, "She's fine, Cole. She was missing a few volts of electricity, but fine all the same."

Cole nodded, and asked, "What did I miss?"

"Well, not very much," Uranium admitted, getting comfy on the other bed. "King Dragunov is gone; dead by the hands of your evil counterpart. But Flame is filling the role for now, and things have been rather calm. Construction is underway for a majority of the city, and there are reports of only a few dead."

"What about my evil version, and his Amp?" Cole followed up. Though Cole had seen to it personally that Evil Cole was gone, a nagging feeling in his gut persisted.

"There was no trace elements of any living tissue. He was either completely eradicated, or was simply transported. As for the Amp, it's in a secure safe deep in the palace, no one will be getting it anytime soon."

Accepting these facts, Cole rubbed his head, standing up from his bed. His movement caused Lemon to stir, as her eyes fluttered open. She gasped as Cole turned to her, and the next thing Cole knew, she tackled him to the ground. Before he could say a word, Lemon was kissing him deeply, stunning him. She pulled back before Cole could enjoy the kiss fully, and sat on his chest, blushing.

"I'm glad you're okay, Cole," she said gently, nuzzling his neck. Cole chuckled, petting her head like a dog.

"Not like I'm going anywhere," Cole reassured, "So how long was I out?"

Lemon remained quiet for a few seconds before answering. "Four days," she mumbled.

"That long, huh?" Cole inquired, feeling sad for making Lemon worry over him; he instinctively wrapped his arms around her.

"I don't care if it was a month," she promised, her voice sounding resolute. "I would wait for the ends of time if it meant seeing you awake."

"I feel the same way," Cole agreed, hugging her tighter.

"Cole!" two joyous voices called out, reminding Cole that he was on the floor. Lemon reluctantly stepped off of Cole, and he pushed himself back to his feet. The doorway held Spyro and Cynder, who rushed over to him with happy smiles. Cole smiled back, but was instantly horrified when they, too, tackled him to the ground.

Did everyone forget that he was a bit injured from saving the world?

He didn't mind too much though, since Spyro and Cynder were laughing in joy at seeing him awake. Cole couldn't hold it any longer and laughed as well, hugging the friends that had been with him since he had appeared in this world. "Took your time waking up!" Spyro joked as he and Cynder hopped off of him.

"Destroying the evil version of myself took a bit more energy than I'm used to," Cole said, shaking his head, as he got to his feet yet again.

"I know what that's like," Spyro sympathized, giving a quick wink. Cole gave another chuckle, looking over his friends and lover. At that moment, Cole knew that life would truly be worth living, especially if these dragons were by his side.

Speaking of dragons, the Guardians were nowhere in sight, which prompted Cole to ask of their whereabouts. "They left back to Warfang," Uranium answered, "They said they've been gone too long."

"But enough about that," Cynder said with excitement, "Tell us, what was it like to be a dragon?"

Cole raised a brow, his smile slowly growing, "You should know, you've been a dragon your whole life."

"Well, duh," Lemon responded, giggling, "But we want to hear from from someone who has walked on two feet his whole life."

Cole put a hand to his chin, pretending to be deep in thought, "Well, it was strange at first, but mobility came fast enough. It felt like I had lived as a dragon for a long time."

"Fascinating," Uranium whispered, writing on a notepad furiously, "Maybe you have dragon DNA in you, which allowed you to change in the first place."

"Whatever," Cole waved off, rolling his eyes, "I'm just glad I'm a human again."

Suddenly, Cole remembered the message he promised he would give Spyro. "Say Spyro," Cole said, gaining his attention, "I'm supposed to give you a message."

Spyro tilted his head to the side, "From who?"

"Someone named the Chronicler," Cole recalled, "he said, 'the Chronicler is always watching'."

"That's pretty cryptic," Uranium spoke up.

"That's what I said," Cole nodded. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you guys if you've heard of him, or Ignitus as he-"

"Ignitus!?" Spyro and Cynder shouted in complete surprise.

Cole shrugged, "Yeah, he's the Chronicler. Do you know him?"

"He was my mentor," Spyro explained, not sure what to think of this new fact, "He was like a father to me."

"Ah, I see," Cole said, crossing his arms. Spyro laid on the ground, his mind trying to accept that Ignitus was still alive, in a way. Cynder laid right next to him, draping a wing over him and leaning into him.

"He's still alive," Spyro whispered, tears of joy leaking out of his eyes.

"And he's still watching us," Cynder reminded, tears also falling from her eyes. Though Cole still didn't know their full story, he was glad that Spyro and Cynder had some good news.

"So now what?" Uranium asked, breaking the mood.

Spyro looked to the ground, "Not sure, I guess return to Warfang."

A thought struck Cole at that moment, his face turning grim. It did not go unnoticed as everyone reflected as well when they looked up to him. "What... what's wrong, Cole?" Lemon asked, looking up at him with worry. Was there something else that plagued his mind?

Cole took a deep breath, facing Lemon with a tinge of regret. "There's something you need to see before we head back to Warfang."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Cole and Lemon strolled through the dead orchard of lemon trees, both keeping their gaze on the small house. Though Cole had been here only once before, he wished that he would never have to return. It just reminded him of what Magma did to Lemon and her father. The night acted as an even bigger reminder to Cole of when he had found this place, the moon's rays being the only source of light.

"My home..." Lemon remembered, her tone filled with sadness. Cole couldn't respond right away, the memory of her home all too fresh in his mind.

"The one that was taken from you," Cole eventually said, feeling his heart tug inside of him.

They made it to the front porch, just standing and staring at the door as if it was the last thing between happiness and despair. Cole looked down with a shaky sigh, already feeling sorry for bringing Lemon, but she had to come here.

"We don't have to go in," Cole offered, turning to her, "We can just... visit his grave."

Lemon only nodded, too emotionally stricken to say anything. Cole led her to the side of the house, and the grave with the makeshift cross came into view. They stopped when they were close enough to see the lump of dirt that separated Lemon's father and the open air.

Lemon couldn't hold it in any longer, and dropped to her stomach, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed. Cole would've comforted her, but he felt that this was something that she had to do, and when she was ready, she would let him know.

It was several minutes before Lemon had composed herself, wiping away the stray tears that lingered on her face. She stood to her feet, and looked over to the sign that Cole had put up, that read: _Lemon was here_. She, however, didn't break down in tears again, as Cole had thought. She instead gave a sad smile, her eyes watering a bit.

"I remember when I first wrote this," she reminisced, Cole remained silent, wanting to hear her tale. "It was when I was only a few years old. I had carved it onto the side of the house, and my dad caught me in the act. He wasn't angry though, in fact, he found it funny. He took off the board, and put it right next to the door, so if anybody ever came by, they would know that I was here."

Cole couldn't help but give a small grunt of amusement; the more he heard of Lemon's father, the more he respected him. They stood there, staring at the grave for a few more minutes, until Lemon spoke again.

"Dad," she said, with a sniffle, her voice somber. "I may have left you when you passed away, but I'm here now. And I'll always have you in my heart. You can forever watch me with the Ancestors, and be with me always."

"Along with Trish," Cole added, his eyes never leaving the grave.

Lemon gave a hint of a smile. "Along with Trish," she agreed.

Cole knelt down and Lemon turned toward him, and they stared into each other's eyes for a time. Then, they hugged each other, sharing the pain of losing someone they held dear.

"I love you, Lemon," Cole whispered, hugging tighter; though he had said this before, saying it again felt like it was necessary.

"I love you too, Cole," Lemon reciprocated, her claws digging into Cole's skin ever so slightly. They broke away from each other, and kissed very passionately. For Cole, it felt like a promise as he kissed her: to keep her safe, and to keep her happy. He caressed her check and kissed deeper, feeling as if the world was a few shades brighter.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Delsin Rowe observed from the top of a building at the group of DUP troops that were marching down one of the streets of Seattle. His anger towards the Department of Unified Protection was unchanged since he had arrived in the city, and to see them strutting down the road like they owned the place did nothing to soothe his fury.

"Time to show them what they're dealing with," he said to himself, charging up a blast of smoke and fire in his hand. When it was ready, he released the attack and it shot toward the group of troops. It exploded on contact, taking out a few of them, but the rest whipped towards him, aiming their weapons as they opened fire.

Delsin quickly jumped back, avoiding the bullets, and looked around for a vent he could use. When he found one, he ran towards it and transformed into smoke, moving through the vent without a hitch. He appeared again at the bottom of the building, surprising the group of enemies. Before they could fire their weapons again, Delsin surged forward, the chains that were wrapped around his right forearm unraveling as he did.

The closest trooper was the first to go as Delsin smacked him around with his chains. When he was gone, Delsin dodge rolled to avoid a rocket that had been fired from one of the other troopers. Using his smoke ability, he began shooting packs of smoke and fire that took down a majority of the troopers.

At that moment, three black and yellow armored vans came careening around the corner, heading straight for Delsin's position. Jumping behind cover, he commented, "Must have called for backup."

The reinforcements did not deter Delsin in the slightest. In fact, the thought of more troopers gave him an idea. As the vans came to a halt near his location, Delsin ran for the middle of the street, bullets whizzing by him like streaks of light. When he made it to the center, he gathered a large amount of smoke and fire that swirled around him. With the power, he burst upward, separating his body into three balls of flame that rotated around each other. When he reached the climax of his jump, the three balls of fire converged to reform Delsin, who gave a small smile at what was to come.

Turning toward the ground as he began to fall, Delsin dived straight for it, the lower half of his body bursting into flames. When he landed a destructive shockwave resonated, destroying the vehicles and taking out the troops that were caught in the blast. The street was in shambles as Delsin admired his work.

"Not bad," Delsin mused, nodding at the destruction. Before he could walk away, however, something caught his eye. In the sky was what looked like a vortex inside the cloud cover. It was rather small, and it surprised Delsin that he had seen it at all.

"That's new," he admitted, but brushed it off as sirens began blaring from somewhere further away. "Time to bail."

Delsin ran for a nearby alley, grinning at the possibilities of his new-found powers. Taking down the DUP was a great feat for him, but it was worth it if it meant freeing the city and the other conduits.

* * *

_Legion222's Note: Alas, all good things must come to an end. However, I wonder if all of those sequel hints mean anything… And then I wonder if Superdale would consider keeping me on if they do… It's been great, everyone, and I once again thank Superdale for this wonderful opportunity! I hope you enjoyed the story, I know I did._

_Read on,_

_Legion_

* * *

**Superdale33's Note: Well, folks, its been one heck of a run. But if this chapter has indicated anything, the story is not over. Infamous: Second Sun is coming soon, and that will definitely continue the story (why wouldn't it?). To everyone who has given my stories a chance, thanks a million, and I hope to see you on the next story.**

**-Superdale33**


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